Cover photograph of hqback whale by 

1Ylaso.n Weinrich, Cetacean Research Unit, 

Gloucester Fishem's Museum, 

Gloucester, Mass. 
Marine Mammal 

Protection Act of 1 972 

Annual Report 

April 1,1983 to March 31,1984 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Malcohn Baldrige, Secretary 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

John V. Byrne, Administrator 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

William G. Gordon, Assistant Administrator 
THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE 

Washington, D.C. 20230 

I JUN 2 5 1984 

President of the Senate 

Speaker of the House of Representatives 

Sirs: 

I am pleased to submit the Annual Report of the Department of 

Commerce regarding the administration of the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act of 1972 for the period April 1, 1983 through 

March 31, 1984, as required by Section 103(f) of the Act. 

The Department of Commerce is responsible for implementing 

the Act with respect to whales and porpoises of the order 

Cetacea and seals and sea lions of the suborder Pinnipedia. 

The report details the activities of the Department regarding 

these marine mammals. 

Sincerely, 

4 

Secretary of Commerce 

Enclosure 
CONTENTS 

Introduction .................................................. 1 

Summary ....................................................... 2 

Part I . Administrative programs ............................... 7 

Incidental taking of marine mammals during 

commer cia1 fishing operations .................... 7 

Small take of marine mammals (other than 

commercial fishing) .............................. 8 

Importation of yellow£ in tuna ..................... -8 

Marine mammals and fisheries interactions .......... 9 

Transfer of marine mammal management to the 

states .......................................... 11 

Permits for scientific research and public 

display ......................................... 12 

Regional marine mammal stranding networks ......... 14 

Law enforcement ................................... 18 

Legal actions ..................................... 19 

Part I1 . International programs and activities ................ 21 

International Whaling Commission .................. 21 

Inter-Amer ican Tropical Tuna Commission ........... 23 

International North Pacific Fisheries 

Commission ...................................... 23 

North Pacific Fur Seal Commission ................. 24 

US-USSR Marine Mammal Project ..................... 25 

Part I11 . Management and research programs ..................... 27 

Southwest Region. Southwest Fisheries Center ...... 27 

Northwest Region. Alaska Region. Northwest and 

Alaska Fisheries Center ......................... 35 

Southeast Region. Southeast Fisheries Center ...... 40 

Northeast Region. Northeast Fisheries Center ..... -43 

Part IV - Status of stocks ..................................... 45 

Part V - Appendix ............................................ 131 

Tables 1-14 

INTRODUCTION 

Since 1972, when the Congress enacted the Marine Mammal 

protection Act (MMPA or the Act), the United States has been 

committed to long-term management and research programs to 

conserve and protect these animals. With few exceptions, 

the Act placed a moratorium on taking or importing marine 

mammals or their products into the United States, and it 

applies to persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction on the high 

seas. In 1976, the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and 

Management Act (MFCMA) expanded U. S. control of marine 

mammals to include the 200-mile fishery conservation zone 

(FCZ). 

The Act delegates authority and responsibility for 

oceanic marine mammals to the Secretary of the Agency where 

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 

operates. Under NOAA, the National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS) is responsible for species of the order Cetacea, 

whales and dolphins, and the order Carnivora, suborder 

Pinnipedia, seals and sea lions, except walruses. The 

Department of the Interior is responsible for the dugong, 

manatee, polar bear, sea otter, and walrus. 

The moratorium does not apply to every marine mammal 

species. Those already managed under international 

agreements, such as the northern fur seal, are exempt as 

long as the agreements further the purposes of the Act. 

Under ,a permit system, marine mammals may be taken for 
scientific research, public display, and incidental to 

commercial fishing. The 1981 amendments to the Act added 

two categories of "small take" to the moratorium 

exception. Further, certain natives of Alaska may take 

marine mammals for subsistence use and production of 

handicrafts. Although the Act made management of marine 

mammals a Federal Government responsibility , it provides for 

the return of their management to the States. 

The National Marine Fisheries Service grants or denies 

requests for exemptions, issues permits, carries out 

research and management programs, enforces the Act , participates in international programs, and issues rules and 

regulations. To carry out its mission to conserve and 

protect marine mammals, NMFS cooperates with the States, 

conservation organizations, the public, other Federal 

agencies, the Marine Mammal Commission, and many constituent 

groups including scientific researchers and the public 

display community. 

NMFS's marine mammal research programs are the 

responsibility of the Southwest Fisheries Center, La Jolla, 

Calif,; the Southeast Fisheries Center, Miami, Fla.; the 

Northeast Fisheries Center, Woods Hole, Mass. ; and the 

National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML), Northwest and 

Alaska Fisheries Center, Seattle, Wash. Management programs 

are the responsibility of the Northeast Region, Glouces ter, 

Mass.; the Southeast Region, St. Petersburg, Fla.; the 

Northwest Region, Seattle, Wash.; the Southwest Region, 

Terminal Island, Calif .; and the Alaska Region, Juneau, Ala. 

This annual report to Congress is available from the 

Off ice of Protected Species and Habitat Conservation, 

National Marine Fisheries Service, Washington, D.C. 20235. 

SUMMARY 

The MMPA is one of the principal wildlife conservation 

and management Acts administered by the Department of 

Commerce and has been a key factor in the recovery of 

several marine mammal populations. Since a major concern of 

Congress, as evidenced in the Act, is the continued 

viability and health of populations of marine mammals in 

their ecosystems, NMFS has dedicated significant resources 

over the years to the study of marine mammal populations, 

life cycles and reproductive capacities to broaden our 

knowledge oE these species. Research in support of current 

and anticipated management decisions forms the major portion 

of our marine mammal work. 
At this time, scientists at our Southeast Fisheries 

Center are studying the populations of bottlenose dolphins 

along tke Florida and Gulf coastal areas to update and 

revise, if necessary, the quotas for the take of these 

popular animals for scientific research and public display. 

Researchers at our Southwest Fisheries Center are 

studying the population status of seals and sea lions along 

the California coast to assist that State in regaining 

authority to manage some of these populations. The Center 

also monitors the status of porpoise stocks in the eastern 

tropical Pacific to determine the effects of the tuna 

fishery on those stocks. In Hawaii, Center scientists 

continue to study the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, and, 

with the Southwest Regional Off ice, are implementing a 

recovery plan for this species. In November of this year, 

the Hawaii Laboratory will host a workshop to examine the 

problem of entanglement of marine mammals and other marine 

animals in ocean debris. This workshop, cosponsored by 

several agencies, including NMFS and the Marine Mammal 

Commission, will deal with entanglement issues on a global 

basis. 

Scientists from our National Marine Mammal Laboratory 

at the Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center have been able 

to refine estimates of the size of the bowhead whale 

population as a result of studies conducted in the Bering 

and Beaufort Seas. The population of this endangered whale, 

culturally important to Alaska Eskimos, is estimated to 

exceed 3,800 animals. As a result of presentations by U.S. 

scientists to its Scientific Committee, the International 

Whaling Commission continued to support the subsistence 

harvest of the bowhead by native Americans. The Laboratory 

is also studying the effects of entanglement with debris, 

especially discarded fishing gear, on the population of 

northern fur seals on the Pribilof Islands. 

Since 1978, the National Marine Mammal Laboratory has 

been involved in a cooperative research program with the 

Japanese to study the incidental take of marine mammals, 

primarily Dall's porpoise, in the ,Japanese high seas gillnet 

fishery for salmon inside the U. S. fishery conservation 

zone. Each year, U.S. scien$ists have boarded the salmon 

mothership fleets to collect biological samples and data. 

Our scientists have consulted with Japanese scientists on 

improvements to fishing gear that minimize the incidental 

catch of marine mammals. Beginning this fishing season, the 

fleet will implement the best available improvements on a 

schedule set by the Congress in the 1982 amendments to the 

North Pacific Fisheries Act. 
The Northwest Region and Northwest Fisheries Center 

have established a coordinated research and management 

program for cetaceans and pinnipeds in the Northwest 

Atlantic. A popular summer activity, whale watching, 

(especially humpbacks off Cape Cod), has prompted the Region 

to develop guidelines for whale watching in New England 

waters. 

One of our most successful management programs is the 

system we have developed to issue and monitor permits to 

take marine mammals for scientific research and public 

display. We monitor through a computerized system more than 

300 valid permits for taking marine mammals. 

We also issue permits allowing the unavoidable taking 

of marine mammals by domestic and foreign fishermen during 

commercial fishing operations. General permits are issued 

to foreign fishing associations of nations whose governments 

have a governing international fishery agreement (GIFA) that 

allows them to fish in the U.S. FCZ. This year we have 

issued 21 general permits to foreign and domestic fishing 

associations. 

The Act imposed a moratorium on any unregulated direct 

taking, and, as a result, marine mammals in certain areas 

have become numerous and bold in their interactions with 

fishermen and fishing gear. The most acute problems seem to 

involve seals and sea lions in several areas of Alaska, 

Washington, Oregon, and California. To determine the extent 

of this problem, NMFS implemented or supported a number of 

research efforts in cooperation with the States. 

Law enforcement is an important aspect of our 

management program. The moratorium on taking marine mammals 

is enforced by special agents from NMFS and State agents 

under contract to NMFS. Over the years, most violations 

have involved the illegal importation of marine mammal parts 

or products as well as activities related to the incidental 

take of marine mammals in fisheries. In 1983, a District 

Court upheld the Agency's authority to seize dolphins on an 

in-transit shipment through the U.S. from Mexico to Canada 

and to fine the owners for illegal importation. 

Until last year, NOAA maintained an observer program on 

tuna vessels to monitor compliance with rules prescribed in 

concert with the general permit issued in 1980. That 

program was challenged by members of the tuna industry in 

1981 (Balelo. v, Baldrige) on the grounds that NOAA lacks 

statutory and constitutional authority to require observers 
aboard tuna vessels. When the plaintiff's position was 

upheld by the Court of Appeals in 1983, NMFS and the InterAmerican Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) established an 

agreement to operate a voluntary observer program to obtain 

biological data on porpoises captured during seining and to 

provide estimates of mortality which NOAA uses to monitor 

the mortality quotas. In January of this year, the Ninth 

Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decisions of the 

three-judge panel and the U.S. District Court for the 

Southern District of California which had invalidated the 

NOAA regulation requiring observers on tuna boats. This new 

decision lets NMFS require that observers be allowed on tuna 

vessels and to use data gathered by observers for 

enforcement purposes. Although this decision resolves one 

of the major issues facing NOAA in regulating the take of 

porpoise in the yellowfin tuna fishery, the tuna industry 

has stated its intention to seek review of the decision by 

the Supreme Court. NMFS has notified the tuna industry that 

we have resumed our observer program. 

Four of our regions have developed Marine Mammal 

Stranding Networks. These networks include individuals and 

organizations that volunteer to cooperate with us and are 

authorized to collect specimens for scientific research and 

to record the event with the regional coordinator. Sick and 

injured animals are rehabilitated in voluntary centers. 

After rehabilitation, healthy animals are returned to the 

wild. Animals that cannot be returned to the wild have been 

used to satisfy requests for marine mammals to be used for 

scientific research or public display. For several years, 

the entire demand for California sea lions for public 

display has been met by using rehabilitated animals. 

In 1981, the Congress made several changes to the Act 

which we began to implement the following year. NMFS has 

issued final directives covering small, unintentional 

takings of non-depleted marine mammals incidental to 

commercial fishing and other activities. A f ive-year waiver 

has been granted authorizing the taking of small numbers of 

marine mammals in gillnet fisheries off New England. In 

1984, NMFS issued four Letters of Authorization that allowed 

taking of ringed seals incidental to on-ice seismic 

exploration activities in the Beaufort Sea. 

These amendments also made changes regarding the 

potential transfer of management of marine mammals to the 

States. We have published with the Fish and Wildlife 

Service the final regulations governing the transfer of 

management. We are encouraging the States to cooperate with 

one another to achieve the goal of consistent and 
comprehensive management of transboundary stocks as they 

develop plans for transfer of management. 

In addition to our domestic activities, the Act 

requires the Secretary to engage in international 

negotiations that further the goals of conservation and 

enhancement of marine mammal populations. The most notable 

international achievement since the Act was passed in 1972 

is the moratorium on commercial whaling adopted by the 

International Whaling Commission in 1982 which will be 

implemented beginning in late 1985. 

The United States is a member of another international 

group, the North Pacific Fur Seal Commission, which is 

concentrating on the problem of entanglement and the larger 

issue of the population decline of the fur seals. The 

Commission sets harvest levels for the northern fur seal and 

reviews research by the party governments. 

The tuna/porpoise interaction has been one of the most 

complex problems we have had to deal with in the 

administration of the Act. However, in recent years, 

remarkable progress has been made in reducing porpoise 

mortality in commercial tuna fishing operations. Since the 

current general permit authorizing the take of porpoise 

incidental to the U.S. tuna fishery expires in 1985, we have 

initiated the process for determining the management regime 

that we will implement for 1986 and beyond, and we will 

prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that 

addresses the potential impacts of various management 

options. We have held public scoping meetings in 

Washington, D.C., and San Diego, Calif., to ensure that we 

are aware of all issues that should be addressed in the EIS. 

The appendix includes a table that details 

authorization and appropriation of funds for fiscal year 

1984 under the MMPA. 
PART I 

ADMINISTRAT IVE PROGRAMS 

Incidental Takings of Marine Mammals 

During Commercial Fishing Operations 

General Permits 

A general permit system established under the Act 

authorizes the incidental taking of marine mammals by 

domestic and foreign fishermen during commercial fishing 

operations. General permits are issued by NMFS to foreign 

fishing associations of nations whose governments have a 

governing international fishery agreement (GIFA) with the 

United States that allows them to fish in the U.S. fishery 

conservation zone. For 1984, NMFS has issued or continued 

eleven foreign general permits that allow a total taking of 

6,452 marine mammals annually. This includes the take of 

5,500 Dall's porpoise during salmon gillnet operations under 

a general permit issued to the Federation of Japan Salmon 

Fisheries Cooperative Associations. 

Domestic fishermen may apply for a certificate of 

inclusion issued under a general permit if they incidentally 

take marine mammals. Excluding the general permit issued to 

the American Tunaboat Association and its annual quota of 

20,500 porpoise, NMFS has issued ten domestic general 

permits, nine of which are valid until December 31, 1988. 

These permits allow a total taking of 6,445 animals each 

year. Tables 1 and 2 in the Appendix include a list of 

foreign and domestic fishing corporations with permits and 

the numbers of marine mammals they are allowed to take. 

'Small Take' of Marine Mammals 

An amendment made to the Act in 1981 allows for the 

incidental but not intentional taking of small numbers of 

nondepleted species or stocks of marine mammals by citizens 

of the United States while engaged in commercial fishing 

operations. This exemption to the general permit 

requirements of the Act can be granted only if the total 

taking will have a negligible impact on the species or 

stocks involved and if a reporting system has been 

established among the fishermen involved to monitor and 

report any taking. 
Final guidelines covering the small take of marine 

mammals taken incidental to commercial fishing were 

published by NMFS on December 13, 1983. These guidelines 

include procedures for applying for a Letter of Exempt ion 

which authorize the take and the requirements for 

establishing a system for reporting any takings. 

In February 1984, a Letter of Exemption was issued to 

the New England groundfish gillnetters to take up to 180 

harbor porpoise and 50 harbor seals during groundf ish 

gillnetting operations in the Gulf of Maine. The exemption 

is valid until December 31, 1988. The Division of Wildlife, 

University of Maine at Orono, will be the recipient of any 

reports of marine mammals taken under this exemption. 

Small Take ' of Marine Mammals 

(other than commercial fishing) 

Final regulations governing small takes of marine 

mammals incidental to specified activities were published in 

1982. The regulations include procedures for submitting and 

evaluating general requests to allow animals to be taken 

incidental to a specified activity in a specified 

geographical region. Also, they establish specific 

regulations to take ringed seals incidental to on-ice 

seismic activities in the Beaufort Sea from 1982 through 

1986. The specific regulations outline permissible methods, 

dates, and locations of takings and requirements for 

monitoring and reporting. 

We issued six Letters of Authorization to seismic 

exploration companies in 1983, and we issued four letters 

for 1984. NMFS issued these letters based on a finding that 

the level of taking would have a negligible impact on the 

ringed seal species or stock and its habitat and on its 

availability for subsistence use. The specific geographic 

location in the regulations covers the Beaufort Sea from Pt. 

Barrow to Demarcation Pt. These activities may take place 

only between January 1 and May 31, and two types of energy 

sources, the vibrator -type and watergun method, have been 

authorized. 

Importation of Yellowfin Tuna 

The MMPA directs the Secretary (of Treasury) to ban the 

importation' of commercial fish or fish products which have 

been caught with commercial fishing technology which results 

in the incidental kill or incidental serious injury of ocean 
mammals in excess of U.S. standards. The Act requires the 

Secretary to insist on reasonable proof from the government 

of exporting nations of the effects on marine mammals of the 

commercial f ishing technology used for fish or fish products 

exported. 

Standards have been established only in the yellowfin 

tuna purse-seine fishery. U. S. regulations prohibit the 

entry of yellowfin tuna or yellowfin tuna products from 

nations purse seining for this species in the eastern 

tropical Pacific Ocean unless that nation has been found to 

be fishing in substantial conformance with U.S. regulations 

regarding the protection of porpoises. Nations currently 

embargoed under these regulations are Mexico and the 

[J.S.S.R.; for 1984, six nations have been certified as 

fishing in substantial conformance with the regulations. 

Marine Mammals and Fisheries Interactions 

Northeast Resion 

Occasionally, marine mammals are taken incidentally to 

commercial fishery operations in the Gulf of Maine and in 

foreign fishing and joint fishery ventures in the MidAtlantic. Marine mammal interactions with bottom gillnet 

operations for groundf ish (cod, haddock, hake, cusk, and 

pollock) in the Gulf of Maine usually result in little 

damage to gear or catch. However, entanglement of harbor 

seals and harbor porpoise has been reported. NMFS is 

funding studies to determine the extent and impact of marine 

mammals/fisheries interactions on both the mammal 

populations and the fisheries in the Gulf. The University 

of Maine is studying the distribution and abundance, habitat 

use patterns, and population discreteness of harbor seals in 

addition to investigating the fisheries interaction problem 

for all marine mammal species in the area. 

Marine mammals are taken incidentally in joint U.S. 

foreign fishing ventures that use trawling gear for squid, 

mackerel, and butterf ish in the Mid-Atlantic off shore 

waters. Pilot whales, common dolphins, and false killer 

whales are the marine mammal-. species most likely involved. 

Preliminary analyses of data suggest that the total 

take of marine mammals in fishery operations in the 

Northeast Region is not significant and does not seriously 

threaten the marine mammal populations involved. Further 

research efforts will provide us with a clearer analysis of 

this potential problem. 
Alaska Reuion, Northwest Reqion and 

Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center 

The Center is studying the incidental catch of northern 

sea lions by U.S. fishermen in the pollock joint venture 

fishery in Shelikof Strait, Alaska. Since this joint 

venture is expanding, the level of sea lion take and the 

impact of this take to local sea lion populations need to be 

assessed. In 1982, 528 dead northern sea lions were 

reported by U.S. fishery observers. Based on observer 

coverage, an estimated 1,393 sea lions were taken in 1982. 

During 1983, although 169 dead sea lions were reported, the 

total take was estimated at 222. Changes in the location and 

dates of the fishery are likely causes for the decline in 

1983. Immature males and females of all ages were the 

predominant age-classes incidentally caught. Most were 

caught between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. during net ascent or near 

the surface during net retrieval. The estimated number of 

animals caught in 1983 represented about 1.1 percent of the 

sea lion population present in the Shelikof Strait-Yodiak 

area during the fishing season. As part of its Bering Sea 

research program, the Center also studies the overall impact 

of commercial fishing on marine mammal stocks in the Bering 

Sea. 

Since 1980, NMFS has contributed funds to the 

Washington Department of Game to study marine mammalfisheries interactions in the Columbia River and adjacent 

waters. Partial support was provided also by the Columbia 

River Estuary Data Development Program and the Marine Mammal 

Commission. 

A£ ter three years of study, researchers have found that 

marine mammal/fisheries interactions occurred in 62 percent 

of the salmon gillnet fishing trips in the study area (lower 

Columbia River, Grays Harbor, and Willipa Bay), and these 

interactions resulted in damage to fish catches, fishing 

gear, and/or marine mammals in 36 percent of all the fishing 

trips sampled. Harbor seals were the primary cause of fish 

damage in all estuaries and seasons. The harbor seal 

population in the study area has increased at an annual rate 

of about 11 per cent between 1976 and 1982. Researchers 

have also found significant damage by seals to adult 

salmonids indicating that seals are hunting free-swimming 

salmonids in river channels. Not enough is known at this 

time to estimate the predation rate on return adult 

salmonids or the mortality rates of the injured salmonids 

that survived the seal attacks. 
The State of Washington currently has a contract from 

NMFS to identify and evaluate the most effective methods for 

mitigating marine mammal/fisheries conflict in the Columbia 

River; this research is expected to be completed in 1984. 

Southwest Reaion 

Under contract to the Southwest Region and Center, the 

California Department of Fish and Game continued to 

investigate marine mammal/£ ishery interactions and to 

collect data required for the assessment of the status of 

harbor seal populations. During this past year, estimates 

of marine mammal mortality in gillnet fisheries were refined 

and work continued on the development of non-lethal means of 

mitigating fisheries interactions. 

Transfer of Marine Mammal Management to the States 

In May 1983, NMFS and the Fish and Wildlife Service 

published final regulations implementing the 1981 amendments 

to Section 109 of the MMPA. These regulations establish new 

procedures for the transfer of management authority, the 

form and minimum requirements of a state application, and 

the countinuing relationship of Federal and State wildlife 

agencies on marine mammal issues. 

The new procedures, established by Congress and 

implemented by our regulations, involve a simplified threestep process. First, the state must submit a request for 

transfer of management authority for a given species or a 

number of species of marine mammals. This request and its 

supporting documentat ion is then reviewed to determine if 

the state has developed and will implement a program for the 

conservation and management of the species which meets 

certain requirements included in the Act. Second, if the 

FWS or the NMFS publishes a proposed finding that the state 

program meets these requirements, the state must make a 

determination, under procedures set by the Act, of the 

optimum sustainable population (OSP) of the species and the 

maximum allowable take that is consistent with maintaining 

the species at OSP. Third, t-he state's determinations must 

be implemented through state laws and/or regulations. If 

the range of the species extends beyond the territorial 

water of the state, the State and Federal governments must 

agree on a process for allocating the take in areas under 

respective State and Federal jurisdictions. Once this 

cooperative allocation agreement, if required, has been 

implemented and the OSP and maximum allowable take 
determinations are final and implemented under state law, 

NMFS will publish a final finding and rule transferring 

exclusive authority to manage marine mammals to the state. 

The only exception to this assumption of exclusive 

jurisdiction would be for takings by non-state personnel for 

scientific research and public display and takings by 

Federal officials for health and welfare purposes, 

activities which remain under the control of the Federal 

Government pursuant to section 109 of the Act. 

NMFS is in frequent contact with w.ildlife personnel of 

the states of California, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and 

Maine in an attempt to explain the new procedures and offer 

any guidance or advice requested. At this time, we have not 

received any applications for state management. 

Permits for Scientific Research and Public Display 

The Act allows permits to be issued for taking or 

importing marine mammals for scientific research or public 

display. Three steps must be taken before a permit can be 

granted : 

1. Receipt and initial review of the application by 

NMFS, publication of a notice of receipt in the 

Federal Reqister, and transmittal of the 

application to the Marine Mammal Commission for 

review; 

2. A 30-day review of the application by NMFS, the 

Commission, the public, and other Federal agencies; 

and 

3. Final processing by NMFS, including consideration 

of comments, and approval or denial of the 

application. 

During the past year, 64 applications were 

considered. Of these, 56 have been resolved; 24 scientific 

research permits were issued, and 13 public display permits 

were issued. There were 105 modifications, amendments, or 

authorizations for take or related activities. 

The following tables appear in the appendix and provide 

a detailed overview of the permit program: 

o common and scientific names of marine mammals 

requested in scientific research/public display 

permit applications (table 3); 
o sumnary of permit applications ( table 4 ) ; 

o cetacean take requested in scientific 

research/public display permit applications 

(table 5); 

o pinniped take requested in scientific 

research/public display permit applications 

(table 6); 

o cetacean take authorized by scientific 

research/public display permits (table 7) ; 

o pinniped take authorized by scientific 

research/public display permits (table 8) ; 

o authorized take for permanent removal from the 

wild-ce taceans (table 9) ; 

o authorized take for permanent removal from the 

wild-pinnipeds (table 10) ; 

Killer Whale Permit 

A permit application from Sea World, Inc. to take 

killer whales for public display and scientific research 

received considerable national attention. The application 

was extensively reviewed by NMFS, the Marine Mammal 

Commission, and the public. We held a public hearing on the 

application, and, during the extended comment period, 

received thousands of comments both supporting and opposing 

issuance of a permit. After a thorough review of the 

comments, available information and requirements of the 

MMPA, we issued a public display/scientific research permit 

to capture up to 100 killer whales over a 5-year period. Of 

these, up to 10 may be taken and maintained in captivity for 

display and breeding. The remaining animals, up to 90, may 

be captured for research and released. Many of the research 

activities will not be authorized until further information 

is received and evaluated. The permit contains many 

restrictions and conditions ,to ensure that there will be no 

significant adverse effects on the populations of killer 

whales involved. 
Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Networks 

Four of the Regions are operating marine mammal 

stranding networks. The networks include individuals and 

organizations that volunteer to cooperate with a NMFS 

coordinator. Authorized members may collect scientific 

specimen materials, record the event with the Regional 

Coordinator, and are obligated to assist local and Federal 

authorities in the disposal of the animals. 

In 1983, The Cousteau Society (TCS) offered its 

assistance to the marine mammal stranding networks and 

sponsored a two-day meeting of all network coordinators to 

assess how it could best assist them. Funds received from a 

special appeal to the membership were distributed to 

individual network foundations. 

The primary accomplishment of this appeal was the 

resumption of a nationally centralized data file for 

stranding reports. This Marine Mammal Events Program 

(MMEP), coordinated at the Smithsonian Institution, replaces 

the Scientific Events Alert Network (SEAN) which was 

disbanded in 1982 due to funding constraints. TCS 

contributed funds to hire a part-time data technician to 

receive, collate, and enter stranding reports into a 

computer file. Although the MMEP is concentrating initially 

on cetacean strandings (Table 11, Appendix), it is examining 

the value and feasibility of adding pinnipeds. The 

involvement of the TCS has greatly facilitated communication 

between and within the stranding networks. Future projects 

may include the development and distribution of regional 

stranding posters for public information, analysis of 

backlogged data bases, and extending assistance to numerous 

vo lunteer participants of the network. 

Southwest Region 

Final organizational meetings were held for network 

cooperators and participants. A directory was updated and 

revised and sent to all network participants along with a 

summary of 1983 strandings and a newsletter which described 

developments in network organization and 1983 

accomplishments. A network foundation account was 

established to manage and distribute funds donated from The 

Cousteau Society and other organizations. The NMFS Regional 

Coordinator presented papers to the International 

Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine, the Southern 

California Academy of Sciences, and the Society for Marine 

Mammalogy to publicize the network and encourage the 
scientific community to use specimen material collected by 

participants. In October, the coordinator traveled to 

England as the guest of the Royal Society for the Prevention 

of Cruelty to Animals to join an international workshop on 

stranded whales and to assist in the formulation of a 

British marine mammal stranding network. 

In 1983, over 1,800 pinniped, about 100 cetacean, and 3 

sea turtle s trandings were reported for the California 

coast. 

Northeast Region 

The Northeast Regional Stranding Network (NRSN) reports 

strandings, not if ies enforcement agencies, recovers live and 

dead stranded marine mammals and coordinates and reports 

scientific research. The regional network includes 

representatives from the NMFS law enforcement division, 

State law enforcement agencies, State and local fisheries 

officers, and six major institutions that hold Letters of 

Agreement from the Northeast Region. All non-law 

enforcement personnel working in the network come under the 

control of the Letter of Agreement holders. 

Letters of Agreement have been issued to organizations 

that have displayed expertise, professionalism, and 

cooperation when dealing with stranded marine animals. 

Holders of Letters are the only institutions that can 

legally take part in a marine mammal stranding in the 

Northeast Region. 

The Region is divided into separate geographical areas 

of responsibility for each of the six institutions. The 

network has proven its ability to use data from strandings, 

provide an efficient format for its dissemination, ease 

enforcement efforts, encourage cooperation between agencies, 

investigators, institutions and the public, and reduce 

duplication of effort. The network is responsible for 

identifying individuals and/or institutions in the areas 

that are carrying out programs beyond basic data collection 

and assisting their needs. Marine mammal parts are made 

available to qualified universities, museums and individual 

researchers for public display or educational purposes. 
Sou theas t Region 

The Southeast Fisheries Center supports research on 

cetacean species in the region through the Southeast U.S. 

Marine Mammal Stranding and Salvage Network. The network is 

operated under contract to Dr. Daniel Odell of the 

Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, 

Rosensteil School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, 

University of Miami. The network has expanded considerably 

since its beginning and includes collaborating professional 

State and Federal biologists, law enforcement agents, 

private aquaria personnel and other interested persons. In 

1983, a total of 256 cetaceans representing at least 24 

species were reported to the network. Strandings and 

sightings reported to the network are presented in the 

following table. 
Cetaceans Reprted to the SEUS Stranding ard Salvage Network in 1983 

PERCENT 

SPECIES - ON NAME NUMBER CF 

REFOWED TOIlAL 

Turs iops truncatus - Atlantic bt tlenose do iphin 

Kogia txeviceps - Pygmy sperm whale 

Stenel la attenuata - Slender-beaked porpoise 

Stenella plagiodon - Atlantic spotted dolphin 

Stenella clymene - Short-sncuted spinner doiphin 

Lagenodelphis hosei - Fraser's dolphin 

Pseudorca crassidens - False killer whale 

Feresa attenuata - Fygmy killer whale 

Physeter marcrocephalus - Sperm whale 

Balaena glacialis - Right whale 

Stenella attenuata - Spotted dolphin 

Ygia shs - Dwarf sperm whale 

Megaptera nwaeanqliae - Humpback whale 

Mesoplodon europlcus - Antillean baked whale 

Grampus qriseus - Risso's dolphin 

Globicephala macrorhynchus - Short-f inned pilot whale 

Ziphius cavirostris - Qvier's beaked whale 

Stenella coeruleoalba - Striped dolphin 

Balaenoptera physalus - Fin whale .. 

Globicephala malaena - mng-f inned pilot whale 

Stenella longirostis - Spinner dolphin 

Balaenoptera edeni - Bryde 's whale 

Rocoena phoccena - arbor porpoise _C___ 

Unidentified delphinid 
Northwest Region 

Participants in the Northwest Marine Mammal Stranding 

Network are volunteers from the Marine Animal Resource 

Center, Seattle, Wash. ; Washington Department of Game 's 

Marine Mammal Project, As toria, Oregon; Oregon State 

University Marine Science Center, Newport, Oregon; and the 

University of Oregon, Institute of Marine Biology, 

Charleston, Oregon. The network participants cooperate with 

the Washington State Patrol; the Washington Department of 

Game; the Oregon Department of State Police; the Oregon 

Department of Transportation, Parks and Recreation Division; 

the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife; and NMFS. 

The Northwest Marine Mammal Stranding Network was 

especially busy in 1983 with an unusual number of gray whale 

strandings. The twelve gray whale strandings in Washington 

and Oregon in 1983 is a dramatic increase over the numbers 

observed in past years in which there were an average of two 

to four gray whale strandings per year, In addition to 

investigations on beached cetaceans and pinnipeds, network 

participants were also active during the harbor seal pupping 

season which begins in March in coastal waters and ends in 

September in Puget Sound. Many healthy harbor seal pups are 

reported as sick or abandoned and sometimes removed from 

beaches by well-meaning people who believe the pups have 

been abandoned by their mothers. However, the mother may 

return if the pup is left undisturbed, and removing pups 

eliminates the possibility of the pup being re-united with 

its mother. 

Law En£ orcement 

Law enforcement is an important aspect of our 

management program. The moratorium on taking marine mammals 

is enforced by special agents from the NMFS and State agents 

under contract to NMFS. Over the years, most violations 

have involved the illegal importation of marine mammal parts 

or products, as well as activities related to the incidental 

take of marine mammals in fisheries. Last year, we 

investigated 172 alleged violations of the Act. Of these, 

74 were violations involvi'ng illegal takings and 

harassment. Our agents in Hawaii extensively patrol the 

areas where humpback whales calve and breed to enforce our 

guidelines regarding harassment of these animals. 

In addition to investigating violations of the Act, 

NMFS special agents also investigate reports of stranded and 

beached marine mammals. NMFS special agents in the Cape Cod 
Bay area rescued 22 pilot whales in one stranding, and, in 

California, agents investigated 200 separate incidents of 

beached or stranded marine mammals (usually seals or sea 

lions). 

In 1983, a District Court upheld the Agency's authority 

to seize dolphins on an in-transit shipment through the U. S. 

from Mexico to Canada and to fine the owners for illegal 

importation. Marine Wonderland and Animal Park, Niagara 

Falls, Canada, had filed for approximately 1.3 million 

dollars in damages under the Federal Tort Claims Act for 

illegal seizure of 6 dolphins in 1977. The same judgment 

upheld the Agency Is administrative decision and forfeiture 

of the animals. 

Legal Act ions 

Balelo v. Raldrige, (9th Cir.) Civ. No. 81-5807, 81-5806; 

United States v. $50,178.80, (9th Cir.) Civ. No. 82-5433. 

In this class action, commercial tuna fishermen 

challenged the Agency Is statutory and cons ti tu tional 

authority to promulgate a regulation during the 1980 

tuna/porpoise rulemaking allowing the Agency to require NMFS 

observers on board a tuna boat as a condition to obtaining a 

certificate of inclusion. In July 1981, the U.S. District 

Court for the Southern District of California held the 

regulation invalid because it sanctioned the use of observer 

gathered information for enforcement purposes. The Court 

found the regulation was beyond the Agency's statutory 

authority for these purposes, and, without statutory 

authorization, the pervasively regulated industry exception 

to the fourth amendment warrant requirement does not apply. 

A three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of 

Appeals went beyond the decision of the district court by 

finding the regulation invalid for all purposes including 

the collection of scientific data (which the district court 

had found allowable ). However, the Government was granted a 

rehearing before a full panel of the Ninth Circuit which set 

aside the decision made by a panel of three judges. This 

decision, issued by the Ninth. Circuit on January 24, 1984, 

reversed the decision of the district court and held that 

the regulation was authorized under the broad rulemaking 

authority of the MMPA, and it fell within the pervasively 

regulated industry exception to the warrant requirement of 

the fourth amendment. The court affirmed the judgment in 

the companion case U.S. v. $50,178.80, a civil forfeiture 

action in which defendants' motion to supress observer 
collected evidence was denied by the District Court of the 

Central District of California. However, the claimants 

maintain that the ruling does not dispose of the issue in 

U.S. v. $50,178.80. The Government will file for summary 

judgment to settle this matter. 

American Tunaboat Association v. Baldrise, (9th Circuit) J. 

Civ. No. 82-5588. 

In this action, the American Tunaboat Association (ATA) 

challenged the Administrator's refusal to follow the 

Administrative Law Judge's (ALJ ) recommendations on three 

specific scientific findings in the Agency's final decision 

in its 1980 tuna/porpoise rulemaking held in conjunction 

with the ATA's application for a general permit. The case 

was brought even though the Agency authorized a quota of 

20,500 porpoise for each of the years 1981-1985 and issued a 

general permit covering these years. The portions of the 

Agency's final decision challenged by the ATA were 1) 

whether the calculation of mean school size by the Agency 

should have used data obtained by agency observers aboard 

tuna boats, 2) whether an incorrect premise, that observers 

on aerial surveys could be expected to see all large 

porpoise schools on the trackline, was used in the agency's 

calculation of the density of porpoise schools, and 3) 

whether the area inhabited by porpoise was larger than the 

value used in the agency's analysis. 

On March 10, 1982, the U.S. District Court for the 

Southern District of California entered an order declaring 

that the determinations of the ALJ on the three disputed 

matters were the best available scientific evidence within 

the meaning of the Act and that the Administrator should 

have accepted them. The Agency has appealed the decision of 

the district court on the grounds that the Administrator's 

findings were supported by the substantial expert opinion 

evidence in the administrative record. The case has been 

fully briefed and argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals 

for the Ninth Circuit but was withdrawn from submission by 

the court pending a decision in Balelo v. Baldrige. No 

action has been taken by the court to resubmit the case. 
PART I1 

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES 

The MMPA directed the Department of Commerce to seek to 

further the protection and conservation of marine mammals 

under existing international agreements and to take the 

initiative necessary to negotiate additional agreements 

required to achieve the purposes of the Act. The NMFS 

participates in many international programs and activities 

to carry out the intent of the Act. 

~nternational Whaling Commission (IwC) 

1983 IWC Meeting. The United States had two primary 

objectives for the 35th Annual Meeting: to ensure that the 

previous year's moratorium decision was not diluted or 

otherwise changed in substance and to seek a bowhead catch 

limit for 1984 consistent with the IWC's new aboriginal 

subsistence whaling management scheme. These objectives 

were substantially achieved. 

IWC Moratorium Decision. In the months following the 

adoption of the moratorium, four member governments (Japan, 

Norway, Peru, and the U.S.S.R. ) exercised their rights under 

the Convention and filed an objection to the moratorium 

which removed any technical obligation under international 

law to comply. The 35th Annual Meeting did not amend the 

moratorium decision or take any other action to modify its 

substance. During the meeting, the Government of Peru 

withdrew its objection to the moratorium leaving three 

countries maintaining an objection. In addition, the 

Government of Chile announced its domestic prohibition of 

all whaling as of July 1983 and its intention to comply with 

the moratorium. 

Two U.S. laws have provisions that are linked to whale 

conservation practices of other nations. Under the Pelly 

Amendment to the Fishermen's Protective Act, the U.S. may 

embargo imports of fish products from countries whose 

nationals are certified by the Secretary of Commerce as 

conducting fishing operations (including whaling) in a 

manner or under circumstances that diminish the 

effectiveness of international conservation programs such as 

the IWC. The Packwood-Magnuson Amendment to the MFCMA 

mandates a reduction by at least 50 percent in the 

allocation of fish that may be caught in the U.S. fishery 

conservation zone (FCZ) by any nation that is certified by 

the Secretary. 
Aboriginal Whaling. After years of intensive work, the 

IWC adopted, at its 1982 Annual Meeting, management 

principles and procedures to govern aboriginal subsistence 

whaling. They formally recognized in a separate management 

scheme the distinct ion between commercial and aboriginal 

subsistence whaling. The scheme codified the IWC's attempt 

to strike a proper balance between the needs of aboriginal 

people who depend on limited whaling to meet subsistence, 

cultural, and nutritional needs and the conservation needs 

of the affected whales. It requires that hunting be managed 

to provide for the recovery of depleted whale populations. 

At the 35th Annual Meeting, catch limits were set for 

Bering Sea bowhead whales, Eastern North Pacific gray 

whales, and West Greenland fin, minke, and humpback 

whales. Af ter a lengthy discussion, the Commission adopted 

a 2-year strike limit of 43 bowhead whales in 1984/85 with a 

maximum number of strikes in either year of 27 and a 

provision for review at the end of the first year. The 

Commission also set the following catch limits for 1984: 

Eastern North Pacific gray 17 9 

West Greenland humpback 9 

West Greenland fin 6 

West Greenland minke 300 

Commercial Catch Limits. The 35th Annual Meeting set 

commercial whaling catch limits reflecting the continued 

application of existing management procedures and a desire 

to allow interim catches by members who have accepted the 

moratorium so as to provide them time to identify and 

implement transition measures. Commercial catch limits set 

for the 1983/84 pelagic and 1984 coastal whaling seasons 

resulted in a 24 percent reduction from the 12,371 total 

agreed at last year's meeting to 9,390 marking the first 

time in the IWC's history that commercial limits have been 

less than 10,000 animals. A table reflecting the newly 

established catch limits and the trend in catch limits is 

included in the Appendix. 

Humane Killing. At the 1981 annual meeting, the 

Commission voted to ban using the cold (nonexploding) 

harpoon to kill minke whales: the ban was to becomeeffective with the 1982/83 pelagic and the 1983 coastal 

seasons. Brazil, Iceland, Japan, Norway and the U. S. S. R. 

filed objections. At the meeting, Japan was congratulated 

on the success of its efforts to replace the cold grenade 

harpoon which resulted in total compliance with the ban. 

Norway pledged its best efforts for total compliance in 1984 
which include final safety testing and production of its 

prototype exploding harpoon. The Soviet Union reported 

virtually no progress toward compliance. Information 

submitted by both Japan and Norway indicated that the time 

to death of struck animals was substantially reduced when 

the exploding (vs. the nonexploding) harpoon was used. 

Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) 

Since many of the purse-seine vessels left the eastern 

tropical Pacific to fish in the western Pacific, the number 

of trips from the international fleet that the IATTC had 

planned to sample for porpoise mortality were reduced. Out 

of 63 trips planned, of which 20 were to be non-U.S., only 

26 trips were completed or were in progress as of October 1, 

1983. Of these, only one involved a non-U.S. vessel 

(Panamanian). Although ten trips were scheduled on Mexican 

vessels, no progress has been made in reaching agreement 

with Mexico to deploy the observers. 

The estimated purse seine catch of yellowfin associated 

with porpoise in the eastern tropical Pacific in 1983 is 

32.9 percent, the lowest since 1978. Porpoise mortality 

inflicted by the United States registered fleet in 1983 is 

considerably below the rate for the same period in 1982. 

This reduction in mortality is the result of reduced fishing 

effort as well as reduced fishing on porpoise. 

International North Pacific Fisheries Commission (INPFC) 

Because of amendments made in 1982 to the North Pacific 

Fisheries Act, marine mammal discussions at the 1983 annual 

meeting centered on ways to incorporate the provisions of 

the new law into the marine mammal research program of 

INPFC. Gear modification to reduce the likelihood of 

entanglement of marine mammals will be operative in 25 

percent of the catcherboats in each of the Japanese 

mothership salmon fleets fishing in the U.S. FCZ during 

1984. The modifications will be increased on an annual 

basis until 100 percent of the Japanese fleet is fishing 

with gear that will help limit the incidental take of Dall's 

porpoise. 

Although the reported take of Dall 's porpoise decreased 

in 1983, the INPFC noted that ways are still being sought to 

minimize interaction between marine mammals and the salmon 

fishery. The United States is working with Japan on 

research programs outside the U.S. FCZ to develop more 
complete data on population distribution and incidental 

take. 

In addition to discussions on incidental take and gear 

modifications, negotiations began between the United States 

and Japan regarding the Memorandum of Understanding on 

marine mammals which is due to expire in June of 1984. 

Under this document, the two countries will agree on an 

acceptable research program to be conducted under the 

auspices of INPFC that will include sampling, monitoring, 

and analysis of Dall's porpoise data throughout the 

mothership salmon fishery. 

North Pacific Fur Seal Commission (NPFSC) 

At the 26th annual meeting of the Commission held in 

Washington, D.C., during April 1983, members set harvest 

levels and reviewed research by the party governments. The 

Commission reviewed the 1982 report of its Standing 

Scientific Committee and expressed concern regarding the 

finding that the fur seal population is declining at an 

annual rate of 4 to 8 percent. This decline is not thought 

the result of the harvest of sub-adult males. Rather, the 

female harvests during the 1960's and increased mortality of 

seals at sea appear to be the significant factors in the 

recent population decline. The causes of seal mortality at 

sea remain uncertain, but include deaths from entanglement 

in floating debris, primarily net fragments and plastic 

packing bands. The NPFSC agreed to continue its efforts 

with countries fishing in the North Pacific to reduce the 

discarding of debris at sea. Also, the Standing Scientific 

Committee planned a 1984 workshop on population trends. 

In an effort to combat the problem of entanglement as 

one way of addressing the larger issue of the population 

decline, the United States is taking steps to prevent the 

discard of debris and gear. The International North Pacific 

Fisheries Commission and the North Pacific Fishery 

Management Council have been alerted to the problem and 

revisions of both domestic and foreign fishing regulations 

are being considered in September 1984. 
US-USSR Marine Mammal Project, Environmental Protect ion 

Agreement 

The objective of this project is to promote joint 

research and exchange of information by U. S. and Soviet 

scientists on the biology, ecology and population dynamics 

of marine mammals of concern to both countries. 

In 1983, five Soviet scientists visited the U.S. for 

the Seventh Project Meeting held at the University of 

California at Santa Cruz. Cooperative research carried out 

since October 1981 was reviewed including bowhead whale 

distribution in the Chukchi Sea, walrus surveys to determine 

age and sex composition of the herds, pinniped osteology, 

and studies of cetacean morphological variation. Future 

research was discussed with agreement reached for three 

exchanges to take place in 1984, and tentative agreement was 

reached to hold a symposium in the USSR on sea otter 

research in the fall of 1984 in conjunction with the next 

Project meeting. 

The first volume ( Pinnipeds ) of the compendium of 

reports on joint research is now in press; publication is 

expected in early 1984. 

Soviet and U.S. scientists took part in a joint walrus 

and ice seal research cruise in the northern Bering and 

Chukchi Seas in August 1983 on the Soviet vessel ZYYOVO. 

Studies emphasized distribution, reproductive condition, age 

and sex composition of walrus herds, parasites and 

morphology. 
Eiologists weigh and tag sea lion pups at 

San Clmte Island, Calif. Photo by Dana 

J. Seagars, Southwest Region, NMFS. 
PART I11 

MANAGEMENT AND RE SEARCH PROGRAMS 

Southwest Region (Management) 

Southwest Fisheries Center (Research) 

Grav Whale 

The gray whale migrates along the west coast and 

winters in the lagoons on Baja California where it calves 

and breeds. It spends its summers feeding in Arctic 

waters. Although it has recovered to a point where it has 

been removed from the IWC's "protected" status, the 

continued increase in its population could be adversely 

affected by such human activities as whale-watching and oil 

and gas development. The Region regularly conducts 

consultations under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act 

to address potential impacts of energy development along the 

outer continental shelf (OCS) as well as other Federal 

activities to ensure that these projects do not jeopardize 

the continued existence of the gray whale. 

Guidelines for gray whale watching along the California 

coast are included in a press release issued by the Region 

and the Center each season before migration season begins. 

In cooperation with the ~merican Cetacean Society, 

guidelines were distributed to marinas, yacht clubs, and 

whale watching groups. 

Humpback Whale 

The ~otice of Interpretation issued by the ~egion in 

1979 for the "taking by harassment" of humpback whales in 

the Hawaiian Islands area continued in effect for the 1983- 

84 season. Portions of the guidelines were summarized in a 

brochure which is distributed to private boaters, whale 

watchers, airlines serving Maui, and the general public year 

round. Special agents were assigned temporary duty in 

Hawaii to augment enforcement.,efforts and increase public 

awareness through increased public contact. Enforcement 

efforts also have been aided by the operation of a NMFS 

patrol vessel. 

The number of complaints of harassment of humpback 

whales increased in the 1982-83 season over previous 

years. This may have been due to better weather conditions 

and to better understanding by the public of what activities 
constitute harassment. Monitoring of research activities 

will be an area of special emphasis this coming year. 

Continuation of the program is critical to obtaining public 

understanding and reducing or eliminating harassment. 

As part of the ongoing management program for humpback 

whales, the Region's Western Pacific Program Off ice 

conducted consultations under Section 7 of the Endangered 

Species Act. Federal projects were reviewed and 

recornmenda tions made to ensure that associated activities 

would not jeopardize the continued existence of humpback 

whales. 

Bottlenose Dolphin 

The Center completed a study on the population ecology 

of bottlenose dolphins in San Diego County which indicated 

that there are roughly 240 bottlenose dolphin in that 

area. The study was based on a series of aerial and 

photographic surveys in which individuals were recognized 

from distinctive scar patterns on their dorsal fins. A 

follow-up study started in October 1983 is using 

individually recognizable animals to investigate school 

integrity. This work is being done cooperatively with 

student interns from South Hampton College, New York. 

Pilot Whale 

The Center completed three surveys in 1983/84 to 

estimate the minimum population size for pilot whales in the 

Southern California Bight. This work is a continuation of a 

monitoring program that was initiated jointly by the Center 

and the California Department of Fish and Game in 1981. One 

aerial survey and one vessel survey were made in December 

1983 around Catalina Island and over the entire Bight. No 

pilot whales were seen on either survey. The results of the 

third survey (an aerial survey around Catalina Island) are 

not available yet. Also, a contract was let to the 

University of California, Santa Cruz, to study the movement 

patterns and reproductive behavior of pilot whales around 

Catalina Island by using individually recognizable markings. 

Harbor Porpoise 

The Center and Region let a contract to the University 

of California, Santa Cruz, to censu sf using aerial surveys, 

harbor porpoise and other cetaceans in the Farallon basin 
off the coast of central California. Thirty-three harbor 

porpoise have been sighted to date during the surveys. 

Additional surveys of the entire coast are being planned in 

a joint study by the National Marine Mammal Laboratory and 

the Center. 

* 

Porpoise Taken Incidentally in the Yellowf in Tuna Fishery 

During the past year, region personnel worked closely 

with the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission ( IATTC) 

which sponsored 30 US/IATTC cooperative observer cruises on 

purse seine vessels in the eastern tropical Pacific. 

Region staff made net and gear inspections on board 60 

certificated U. S. tuna seiners to ensure the presence of 

required porpoise safety gear. Additionally, they assisted 

three vessels during trial net sets off San Diego prior to 

fishing voyages to ad just super apron positioning for the 

most effective use. Requests for NMFS personnel to help 

construct super aprons were received periodically as old 

webbing was being replaced. Although hands on assistance is 

no longer available, detailed instructions and advice on 

super apron construction were provided. 

Tuna Seiner Operator's Workshops were held for 11 

skippers in 1983. A total of 93 operators' and 60 vessel 

certificates were issued. Since marine mammal regulations 

remained unchanged for 1983, Operators holding 1982 

Certificates of Inclusion were not required to attend 1983 

workshops. 

The Center's research program continues to focus on 

understanding the abundance and biology of porpoise 

associated with the purse-seine fishery for tunas in the 

eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP). The objective of this 

research is to provide estimates of the status of stocks of 

these porpoise for use in preparing an environmental impact 

statement to be issued in conjunction with regulations 

governing the taking of marine mammals associated with the 

fishery in 1986 and beyond. Major activities in 1983/84 

*NMFS uses the term porpoise, rather than dolphin, to 

prevent confusion with the dolphin fish, an object of sport and 

commercial fishing. However, the common name is used when 

discussing individual species or stocks such as an eastern 

spinner dolphin. 
included review by a series of panels of the Center Is 

research results and the completion of a survey of porpoise 

populations. 

The panels were convened to review the scientific 

findings of the Center's research program. Panels were 

composed of experts in the biology of marine mammals and in 

the analytical techniques used in stock assessment. These 

experts were from the NMFS, other U.S. and international 

agencies, and from academic institutions. They reviewed the 

results of the following Center research: 

o Research regarding the distribution of porpoise 

including studies to identify ranges of species, specific 

stocks or management units, and to discover possible 

relationships between distribution and environmental 

conditions. All sightings data were evaluated for accuracy 

to update previous estimates of ranges of the principal 

species. Tag-return data and geographic variability in 

morphological characteristics were used to differentiate 

be tween stocks. A correlation analysis attempted to 

estimate the relationships between distribution of 

populations and levels of various oceanographic factors. 

o Research concerning vital rates of porpoise 

including studies on age determination and growth, 

reproduction, and the dynamics of their populations. 

Techniques of aging porpoise using dental layers were 

improved and the calibration of layers using tetracycline 

labels described. The precision of age determination was 

investigated. Studies of reproduction of porpoise included 

analysis of trends and variability of reproductive rates. 

Aspects of reproduction of female spotted dolphin and 

reproductive maturity and seasonality of male spotted 

dolphin were investigated. Rates of increase in populations 

of cetaceans in general and the dynamics of populations of 

spotted dolphin in the ETP were reviewed. 

o Research on abundance of porpoise including 

investigations dealing with species proportions, sizes of 

schools, estimates of the density of schools, and estimates 

of abundance. Species proportions by geographic area were 

developed. Techniques to estimate school s izes using aerial 

photography were evaluated. The effects of various sighting 

factors on estimates of school size, using sightings data 

collected aboard tuna and research vessel and from 

aircraf ts, were assessed. The effects of observer ability 

and technique and the reaction of porpoise to the presence 
of a vessel were assessed. The density of schools in the 

ETP was estimated using line-transect methods, and the 

assumptions of the methods tested . 

o Research concerning porpoise mortality including an 

estimation on the numbers of porpoise chased, captured, 

injured and killed incidental to the tuna fishery in the 

ETP. Also, the effects of factors associated with 

estimating mortality from tuna vessels, such as observer 

ability and technique, were assessed. 

In April 1983, the NOAA research vessel DAVID STARR 

JORDAN completed a 90-day survey of porpoise populations in 

the ETP. Data on density, size and species composition of 

schools were collected. The area surveyed included waters 

south of the Galapagos Islands, an area which had not been 

previously surveyed. This area is approximately the 

southern boundary of the tuna fishery in the ETP and roughly 

the southern boundaries of the distributional range for 

stocks involved in the fishery. On this survey, a total of 

343 schools which included 13,000 animals were sighted. 

During the survey, the JORDAN joined the NOAA vessel 

SURVEYOR to investigate reactions of schools of porpoise to 

the presence of a vessel. The experiment demonstrated that 

porpoise schools only occasionally react to the approach of 

a survey vessel prior to their detection by shipboard 

observers. 

Seals and Sea Lions - California Coast 

Since the State of California has expressed an interest 

in regaining authority to manage the California sea lion, 

harbor seal, and elephant seal populations, the Region, 

Center, and State have been developing inEormation to assess 

the status of those populations, define marine mammal 

conflicts with human activities, and develop techniques to 

resolve those conflicts without harming the marine mammal 

stocks involved. The State will use the information to 

develop their request for transfer of management authority 

and to support their determinations of optimum sustainable 

population levels and levels of maximum allowable take 

incidental to commercial f ish6ries. 

Due to the increasing number of pinniped research 

projects along the coast of California, coordination 

meetings between investigators and land managers were held 

to ensure that'project activities did not adversely impact 
study results, the status of populations, and were 

compatible with requirements of various agencies that have 

jurisdiction over study sites. 

The Region formalized a standardized color coding 

sys tern for tagging pinnipeds which identifies a specific tag 

color for each tagging site by species. The code, agreed to 

by a concensus of pinniped investigators, will be 

implemented through the NMFS permit system for scientific 

research. 

Guadalupe Fur Seal 

A petition to list the Guadalupe fur seal as an 

endangered species under the Endangered Species Act was 

submitted to NMFS by the Center for Environmental 

Education. Af ter a review by NMFS, a finding was made that 

the petition contained substantial information indicating 

that the proposed listing may be warranted. We will review 

the status of the species to determine whether it should be 

listed as threatened or endangered. 

California Sea Lions 

The Center is working with the NMML, the California 

Department of Fish and Game, and Hubbs/Sea World to monitor 

population levels, to estimate replacement yields, and to 

determine the impact of predation by California sea lions on 

pelagic schooling fish. On all of the major rookeries in 

California, annual pup counts are being made to monitor 

changes in population levels, mark-recapture studies are 

continuing to estimate replacement rates, and food habit 

studies are continuing to determine the species composition 

of the diet and the total biomass consumed. About 500 pups 

are tagged per year at the four main rookeries. In 1983, 

the California population was estimated to be about 74,000 

individuals. 

Northern Elephant Seals 

The Center sponsors research on elephant seals at Santa 

Barbara Island and San Clemente Island and works with 

Hubbs/Sea World at San Nicolas Island and with Hubbs/Sea 

World and the NMML at San Miguel Island. In addition, the 

Center supports a long term study on elephant seals at the 

Farallon Islands (contract to Point Reyes Bird 

Observatory). At all of these rookeries, pup counts are 

made to monitor changes in population levels and mark- 
recapture studies are used to estimate various life history 

parameters. Currently, the elephant seal population in 

California is thought to be about 49,000 animals and to be 

increasing at over ten percent a year. 

Harbor Seals 

The harbor seal population in California is monitored 

by contractors: the California Department of Fish and Game 

counts of harbor seals on mainland rookeries and Hubbs/Sea 

World makes counts in the Channel Islands. The population 

in 1982 was over 18,200 animals. The Channel Islands 

population seems to be increasing rapidly, but data on 

growth of the population on the mainland are not yet 

available. 

Hawaiian Monk Seal 

The Region is implementing a Recovery Plan for the monk 

seal that was prepared under the Endangered Species Act. A 

decision will be made this year by NMFS on whether to 

declare critical habitat, another ESA provision, for the 

monk seal. 

The Region's Western Pacific Program Office conducted 

several consultations under Section 7 of the ESA to ensure 

that Federal projects and any associated activities would 

not jeopardize the continued existence of Hawaiian monk 

seals. 

The Center's Honolulu Laboratory carries out research 

studies on the Hawaiian monk seal. Long-term cooperative 

studies were made from 1976 through 1980 by scientists from 

the Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center; the National Bird 

and Mammal Laboratory, Fish and Wildlife Service; and 

contract researchers of the Marine Mammal Commission. 

In 1983, pups at French Frigate Shoals were 

individually marked to assess survivorship through the pups ' 

first year. Pups born at other islands were tagged to help 

estimate long-term survivorsliip, age at first reproduction, 

movements between the atolls, and birth rate. At Lisianski 

~s'land, age-specif ic survival of the monk seal population 

marked in 1982 was determined. Survival for 1982 weaned 

pups at Lisianski was 92 percent from 1982 to August 1983. 

Attacks by groups of adult male monk seals resulted in 

the deaths of several subadult and adult females. Attacks 

were witnessed at Yure Atoll, Lisianski and Laysan Islands 

with most of the documented incidents occurring at Laysan. 

This behavior may in part be caused by an imbalanced sex 

ratio of adult monk seals. Adult males outnumber adult 

females 2.5: 1 at Lisianski Island. 

A juvenile male monk seal was captured for joint 

esearch studies on monk seal physiology, energetics, and 

eeding habits with the University of Hawaii. Studies of 

feeding habits continued with analysis of scat samples and 

spewings collected at 1983 field camps. Nets and other 

fishing debris were catalogued and collected as they washed 

ashore at all islands. Removal of debris by field personnel 

resulted in fewer monk seal entanglements in 1983 than in 

1982. 

At Yure Atoll, three pups (all males) were born to a 

small population which includes only eight adult females. 

Of the eight pups which were "headstarted" at Yure in 1981 

and 1982, seven were resighted in 1983. Total Hawaiian monk 

seal pup production for 1983 is estimated to have been 162 

which is lower than the estimated 1982 total of 193. 

Although estimation methods for the two years differ, the 

lower total for 1983 probably represents a decline in pup 

product ion. 

Alaska Region and 

Northwest Region (Management) 

National Marine Mammal Laboratory, 

Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center (Research) 

Bowhead Whales 

Under the MMPA, Alaska natives are allowed to hunt the 

endangered bowhead whale for subsistence purposes. However, 

since the United States follows the catch limits set by the 

IWC for this species, regulations managing the hunt are 

implemented under the Whaling Convention Act of 1949. 

An agreement concluded by NOAA and the Alaska Eskimo 

Whaling Commission (AEWC) in 1981 regarding management of 

bowhead whale subsistence hupting has been extended through 

1987. In February 1983, the NMFS Regional ~irector in 

Alaska negotiated an amendment to the agreement concerning 

the management, inspection, and reporting of bowhead whale 

subsistence harvests. The cooperative agreement established 

a strike limit for 1983 of 18 whales. The IWC established a 

2-year block quota for 1984-85 of 43 strikes with no more 

than 27 strikes allowed in 1984. 
The Eskimos reached the 1983 strike quota during fall 

whaling at Yaktovik, where one whale was landed and another 

was struck but lost, bringing the annual totals to nine 

landed and nine struck but lost. During the spring hunt, 

NMFS enforcement agents were based in Gambell/Savoonga, 

Point Hope and Barrow, and, during the fall hunting, they 

were in Yaktovik and Barrow. 

The State of Alaska, the Alaska Eskimo Whaling 

Commission, the North Slope Borough, the oil and gas 

industry, NMFS, and the Department of the Interior have 

interests and responsibilities in protecting bowhead 

whales. Although NMFS has lead-agency responsibility under 

both the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered 

Species Act and is responsible for carrying out studies of 

the bowhead whale population, the Interior is responsible 

for developing information needed to assess and mitigate any 

possible adverse impacts of OCS activities on the bowhead 

and its habitat. 

Annual Quotas and Catch of Bowhead Whales 1978-1983 

Quota 1 Actual Take 

Landed Strikes Landed Lost Strikes 

1 Quotas were first set for this population in 1978. A landed 

whale counts as a strike. Hunting is to cease when either the 

landed quota is reached or when the quota of total strikes is 

reached. 

- Based on IWC quotas, totals for 1981, 1982, 1983 combined 

could not exceed 45 landed or 65 struck. 

- A two year quota not to exceed 43 strikes was put into effect 

at the July 1983 IWC meeting. A first year limit of 27 strikes 

was set with the second year (1985) limit to be renegotiated 

based upon the best available scientific data. 
The NMFS bowhead whale research program is carried out 

at the National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML). In 1983, a 

census of bowhead whales was made with the cooperation of 

the North Slope Borough which also collected biological 

specimens. Rased on an analysis of data collected from 1978 

to 1983, the best minimum estimate of current population 

size is 3,871. Completed research on ageing, by using 

biochemical methods to study eye lens nuclei and laminations 

of the tympanic bullae ("ear bone"), shows that no 

satisfactory method of ageing is available. Preliminary 

analysis indicates that female bowheads become sexually 

mature when they are about 40 feet long, gestation may last 

13 months, females give birth every 3 to 6 years, and 

conception and calving occur primarily from April to June 

with conception probably occurring no earlier than March. 

Num~back Whale 

Of special concern to NMFS is the North Pacific 

population of humpback whales which includes only about 

1,000 animals. In the summer, a portion of this stock is 

found in Glacier Bay National Park and other areas in 

southeast Alaska. Most of the North Pacific population 

winters in the waters around the main islands of Hawaii. 

~ctivities in both areas, including commercial and 

recreational vessel traffic, of fshore oil and gas 

development, sport and commercial fisheries, and coastal 

development present threats to this species. 

In Alaska, 20 to 25 humpback whales were observed each 

year in Glacier Bay National Park; however, the number of 

whales and the length of time spent in the Ray dropped in 

1978 and 1979. The National Park Service determined that 

increasing vessel traffic might have been partially 

responsible for this situation and established emergency 

regulations to restrict vessel traffic. In 1981, Congress 

appropriated special funds to the National Park Service to 

address the problem, and the Service transferred the funds 

to NMFS to carry out the studies. 

Results of studies made in 1981 and 1982 on humpback 

whale-prey relationships, vessel effects on humpbacks, and 

the acoustical environment of Glacier Bay compared to nearby 

areas where the whales occur have been presented in final 

reports by the contractors. Prey studies showed a high 

correlation be tween whale distribution and prey abundance. 

In 1982, one group of whales fed most of the summer in 

Bartlett Cove, one of the busiest and noisiest parts of 
Glacier Bay. Behavior studies indicated that humpback 

whales showed some response to vessels that were up to 3km 

away, but responses were of short duration. Acoustic 

studies showed minor differences between Glacier Bay and 

other study areas. In 1982, more whales were present in the 

Bay than in the previous four years, indicating the humpback 

whales may be reoccupying that area. 

The NMML is collecting and analyzing sighting data from 

the Platform of Opportunity Program (POP); photographic 

identification of whales to provide information on 

distribution, abundance and movements; and a literature 

review of humpback whale feeding habits and behavior. The 

Auke Bay Laboratory continued its study of prey resources in 

Glacier Bay and other areas nearby. 

Northern Fur Seals - Alaska 

Under the Fur Seal Act, NMFS is responsible for 

managing the annual commercial harvest of northern fur seals 

on the Pribilof Islands in Alaska. The U.S. Government 

employs Aleut residents of the Islands to harvest the 

seals. During the 1983 five-week commercial harvest on St. 

Paul Island, 25,728 sub-adult male fur seals were taken. 

NMFS has received a petition from the Humane Society of 

the United States to list the North Pacific fur seal as a 

threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The 

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries determined that the 

petition included substantial information which indiciated 

that the petition action may be warranted. Therefore, NMFS 

will review the status of the North Pacific fur seal to 

determine if it needs to be listed as threatened. Comments 

and information have been solicited through a Federal 

Register not ice. 

A moratorium on commercial harvesting continued on 

St. George Island although the North Pacific Fur Seal 

Commission agreed to allow St. George residents an increased 

number of seals over past years for subsistence. The 

subsistence harvest of 500 sub-adult male seals on 

St. George Island in July and August supplemented the fur 

seal meat shipped to St. George from the commercial harvest 

on St. Paul. 

The population of fur seals in the Pribilof Islands is 

declining at the rate of 4 to 8 percent per year. Studies 

on potential causes of the decline are continuing. Studies 
indicate that entanglement with debris, such as trawl nets, 

may be one of the factors in this decline. 

Biological information collected by the NMML on fur 

seals of the Pribilof Islands of St. Paul and St. Georne in 

1982 included determining the age of fur seals harvested, 

the number of adult males on the rookeries and hauling 

grounds, and the number of pups and older seals that died on 

the rookeries and adjacent beaches. In 1983, approximately 

166,000 pups were born on St. Paul Island. 

Behavioral research on St. George Island emphasized 

repeating the baseline measurements made in 1974. A broad 

range of behavioral topics was studied on two rookeries to 

assess the behavioral changes that have accompanied changes 

in adult sex ratio. The same measures were made at St. Paul 

Island for comparison. More measures of diving behavior 

were made to determine the effect of years and time of 

season on the diving behavior of known individuals. A new 

series of experiments was begun on the balance between 

female gregariousness and aggression, and on the male's 

effect on this balance. Finally, a study was begun on the 

land/sea movements of known age juvenile males. Newborn 

seals were tagged to provide identifiable subjects for 

future research. 

Dalll s Porpoise 

Under a permit issued by NMFS, the Japanese salmon 

mothership fishery is permitted to take 5,500 Dallfs 

porpoises annually inside the U.S. fishery conservation zone 

(FCZ). Based on our estimates, the total take in 1983 was 

2,906 inside the FCZ. Marine mammals, primarily the Dall's 

porpoise, are taken during commercial gillnet operations by 

Japanese fishing vessels both in and out of the FCZ in the 

North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. 

In 1983, NMFS monitored the incidental take by the 

Japanese with U.S. observers aboard catcherboats while the 

mothership fleets operated inside the FCZ and observers from 

Japan Fisheries Agency aboard catcherboats both inside and 

outside the FCZ. Observers .also collected data on the 

incidental take of chinook salmon and steelhead trout during 

gillnet operations and on seabird entanglements. A 

cooperative research program with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service on the incidental take of seabirds during this 

fishery implecmented in 1982 was continued in 1983. 
The present Memorandum of Understanding between the 

United States and Japan concerning the incidental take of 

marine mammals ends on June 9, 1984. Discussions are 

proceeding to implement a new MOU that will be in effect 

until 1987. 

Scientists from the NMML are continuing the research 

programs initiated in 1978 under the MOU and the MMPA 

general permit. In 1983, a U.S. biologist was on board each 

of the Japanese salmon motherships to collect biological 

samples and data from all incidentally taken marine mammals 

returned to the motherships. Japanese nationals collected 

samples from porpoises taken north of the FCZ. A study was 

made in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on the response of 

Dallls porpoise to a survey vessel. This study will 

continue in 1984 to allow a better estimate of population 

abundance. Studies were also initiated to determine whether 

separate populations on Dall's porpoise are present 

throughout the species range. 

Southeast Region (Management ) 

Southeast Fisheries Center (Research) 

Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin 

The popularity of the bottlenose dolphin for public 

display prompted the Marine Mammal Commission to recommend 

that NMFS set an annual quota for the number of animals 

authorized to be removed from populations in the Southeast 

Region for scientific research and public display. The 

number removed during any calendar year cannot exceed two 

percent of the minimum population in a specific location. 

The Southeast Region regulates the taking under 

permits; all permit holders authorized to take dolphins from 

the region are required to consult with the Regional 

Director about specific locations of take. At this time, 

taking is authorized only from the areas where quotas have 

been set and only until these quotas are reached. No more 

than one-half of the animals removed annually from an area 

may be female. Also, current permits do not allow dolphins 

less that 6.5 feet long to h.e taken. 

The Center continues to assess the population of the 

bottlenose dolphin. The goals of the research on bottlenose 

dolphin are (1) to provide estimates of the abundance and 

live-capture .quota recommendations for the stock(s ) of this 

species occurring in southeastern U.S. jurisdictional 

waters; (2) to determine the dynamics and discreteness of 
along-shore and inshore-of f shore populations; and ( 3) to 

determine the validity of the 2 percent live-capture quota 

rule recommended by the Marine Mammal Commission. See Table 

13 in the Appendix for population estimates. 

Research at the Center 's Mississippi Laboratory 

included the use of cryogenic branding to examine herd 

associations and to determine the discreteness of localized 

populations of bottlenose dolphins. Research at the Miami 

Laboratory focused on estimating abundance, establishing 

live-capture quota recommendations, making aerial sampling 

surveys using photogrammetric studies to estimate vital rate 

parameters and examining the degree of genetic variability 

between along-shore and inshore-of f shore populations. 

In Indian River, Florida, and Mississippi Sound, 

bottlenose dolphins were marked (freeze-branded) for field 

studies. In the Indian River, a resighting survey documented 

the continuing presence of dolphins f reeze-branded in 1979, 

1980, and 1981. In Mississippi Sound, resighting surveys 

were continued all year and four additional dolphins were 

freeze-branded. 

An aerial photogrammetric survey was made off Cape 

Hatteras, N. Carolina. Over 2,000 images were obtained of 

80 observations of this species, totaling 2,160 

individuals. This study was made to obtain precise and 

accurate imagery of this species so that estimates can be 

made of the relative age/length distributions of the 

populations sampled. 

When the last localized aerial surveys were completed 

of inshore priority areas, an effort was made to estimate 

the density distribution and abundance of bottlenose 

dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico. The first region sampled 

was the northwestern Gulf encompassing all surface waters 

from the coast including embayments and estuaries, to 5 

nautical miles beyond the surface projection of the 100 

fathom isobath and along the coast from the mouth of the Rio 

Grande to the Mississippi River delta. Three of four 

seasonal aerial surveys have been completed in the 

northwestern Gulf. Af ter a full year of sampling has been 

completed in this part of th<. Gulf, sampling will begin in 

the northeastern Gulf. 
Whale watchers record a hurpback whale 

vertically lunge feeding on Jeffrey's 

Ledge off Massachusetts. Photo by Karen 

Smyth, Cetacean &search Unit, Gloucester 

Fishem ' s Museurn, Gloucester , Mass. 
Northeast Region (Management) 

Northeast Fisheries Center (Research) 

The Region and Center have established a coordinated 

management/research program for cetaceans and pinnipeds in 

the northwest Atlantic. 

The Region is concerned about increased commercial and 

recreational vessel activity in the vicinity of endangered 

whales. The rapid increase in these activities in New 

England waters and the accompanying potential for adverse 

effects to endangered species and/or their environment will 

be addressed through a coordinated approach of management, 

enforcement, and research efforts. The Region will 

distribute whale watch guidelines developed for specific use 

in New England waters and which should result in a more 

knowledgeable public. Selected use of enforcement efforts 

and investigation of research methods to determine the 

cumulative effect of these activities on marine mammals will 

complete the coordinated approach to this problem in the 

Nor theas t. 

Cetaceans 

The final report of the three year (1979--1982) CETAP 

(Cetacean and Turtle Assessment Program) survey has been 

completed and is being used to characterize cetacean 

distribution, abundance, and movement patterns in the 

western North Atlantic from Cape Hatteras north to the Gulf 

of Maine. 

Over the past few years, the Region and Center have 

funded several research studies not covered by CETAP 

including the following : 

o A characterization of habitat and distribution, an 

estimate of population size, and an assessment of 

the impact of human activities on the harbor 

porpoise in the Gulf of Maine. 

o A continuing study on the distribution and abundance 

of the North Atlantic,,right whale in the lower Bay 

of Fundy. 

o Studies on the behavior of humpback whales and their 

use of the Cape Cod Bay/Stellwagen Bank area and the 

Mona Passage, Puerto Rico. 
o Calculations of biomass and energy requirements of 

the cetacean component of the northeast United 

States outer continental shelf waters. 

o Collection of skin samples to determine the sex of 

individual humpback whales in the vicinity of 

Stellwagen Bank off the coast of Massachusetts. 

o Collection and maintenance of humpback. whale fluke 

photographs to identify individual animals. 

o A study of distribution, incidental and subsistence 

take, habitat, age and growth, migration, and human 

effects on the harbor porpoise in the Northwest 

Atlantic. 

o The continued use of Northeast Fisheries Center 

ships as a platform of opportunity for observers 

from the Manomet Bird Observatory to gather and 

maintain seabird, marine mammal and sea turtle 

sightings of all species between Nova Scotia and 

Cape Fear, North Carolina. 

The Center has continued to fund a study by the 

University of Maine on the abundance, distribution, and 

habitat use patterns of the harbor seal in the Gulf of 

Maine. This comprehensive tagging and aerial census effort 

will provide baseline data concerning this species. 

Development of procedures to assess marine mammal gillnet 

fishing interactions in the New England waters is also 

included in this study by the University of Maine. 

In addition, the Manomet Bird Observatory is studying 

the harbor seal in Massachusetts waters. This research will 

provide information on the distribution and abundance of 

harbor seals, determination of the feeding locations and the 

food requirements of th harbor seal population, monitor the 

rate of increase of the wintering population through daily 

counts at Stage Point, Manqmet, Mass., and determine, 

through radio-telemetry, local and widespread movements of 

harbor seals in the waters adjacent to Cape Cod, Mass. 

Aerial surveys of the Nantucket Sound grey seal 

population were made to ,assess the stock size, composition, 

and reproductive success. Habitat and other environmental 

conditions including weather and human disturbance were also 

mon i tor ed . 
Part IV - STATUS OF STOCKS REPORT FOR MARINE MAMMALS 

Introduction 

The system used by scientists to classify plants and animals 

begins with the major category, kingdom, and is followed by 

phylum, class, order, suborder, family, genus, and species. The 

Department of Commerce is responsible for the order Cetacea 

(whales, dolphins, and porpoises) and the seals and sea lions of 

the suborder Pinnipedia which is a part of the order Carnivora. 

This report describes the orders, suborders, families and species 

of these groups. It also reports the estimated population 

numbers of these animals and their relative status in the 

ecosystem. Of about 108 species of pinnipeds and cetaceans 

throughout the world, status reports have been prepared for 52 

species that are of primary concern to the United States 

including marine mammals commonly found in the fisheries 

conservation zone, the Antarctic, eastern tropical Pacific, those 

managed by the International Whaling Commission, and species that 

have been imported under a scientific research or public display 

permit. 

Although the study of these animals in their natural habitat 

is difficult, several other methods are used. One method is to 

examine the remains of animals that have been killed or 

stranded. In recent years, new methods of statistical analysis 

have allowed scientists to estimate the past abundance and 

distribution of some groups and to compare these to present day 

populations. Also, in the past 25 years, the study of fossil 

history has given scientists a better understanding of the 

development of marine mammals. 

Some marine mammals populations are healthy and stable; 

others have not recovered from previous years of intense 

exploitation. As a group, pinnipeds seem to have fared better 

than the cetaceans. Whales listed as endangered under the U.S. 

Endangered Species Act are tiie blue whale, bowhead whale, fin 

whale, gray whale, humpback whale, right whales, sei whale, and 

sperm whale. Three seals, the Caribbean monk seal, the Hawaiian 

monk seal, and the Mediterraean monk seal are on this list. The 

Convent ion on 
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 

(CITES) controls the trade of all plants and animals that have 

been given protected status by the Convention. This 

international body has restricted trade for all cetaceans and 13 

species of pinnipeds. 

Accounts of the following species are included in this 

report. 
Order: Carnivora 

Suborder: Pinnipedia 

Family: Otari idae 

California sea lion 

( Zalophus calif ornianus) 

Northern (Stellar ) sea lion 

(Eumetopias jubatus) 

Northern (Alaska) fur seal 

(Callorhinus ursinus) 

Guadalupe fur seal 

(Arctocephalus townsendi ) 

Family: Phocidae 

Largha seal 

(Phoca largha ) 

Harbor ( Common ) seal 

(Phoca vitulina) 

Ringed seal 

(Phoca (=puss) hispida) 

Harp seal 

(Phoca groenlandica) 

Family: Phocidae (con't) 

Gray seal 

(Halichoerus grypus) 

Bearded seal 

(Erignathus barbatus) 

Hawaiian monk seal 

(Monachus schauinslandi) 

Crabeater seal 

(Lobodon carcinophaga ) 

Ross seal 

(Ommatophoca rossii) 

Leopard seal 

(Hydrurga leptonyx) 

Weddell seal 

(Leptonychotes weddelli ) 

Northern elephant seal 

(Mirounga angustirostris) 

Ribbon seal 

(Phoca (=Histriophoca) fasciata) 
Order: Ce tacea 

Suborder: Mysticeti 

Family: Eschrich tiidae Family: Delphinidae (con't) 

Gray whale 

(Eschr ich tius robustus ) 

Spotted dolphin 

(Stenella attenuata) 

Atlantic spotted dolphin 

Family : Balaenopter idae (Stenella plagiodon) 

Minke whale Striped dolphin 

(Balaenoptera acutorostrata) ( Stenella coeruleoalba) 

Sei whale 

(Balaenoptera borealis) 

Common dolphin 

(Delphinus delphis ) 

Bryde 's whale 

(Balaenoptera edeni ) 

Fraser 's dolphin 

(Lagenodelphis hosei) 

Fin whale 

(Balaenoptera physalus) 

Atlantic white-sided dolphin 

(Lagenorhynchus acu tus ) 

Blue whale 

(Balaenoptera musculus) 

Pacific white-sided dolphin 

(Lagenorhynchus oh1 igqu idens ) 

Humpback whale 

(Megaptera novaeangliae ) 

Northern right whale dolphin 

(Lissodelphis borealis) 

Risso 's dolphin 

Family: Balaenidae (Grampus griseus) 

Right whale 

(Balaena glacialis) 

Melon-headed whale 

(Peponocephala - electra) - 

Bowhead whale 

(Balaena mysticetus) 

Pygmy killer whale 

(Feresea attenuata) 

False killer whale 

Suborder: Odontoceti ( Pseudorca crass idens ) 

Family : Delphinidae 

Long-finned pilot whale 

Rough- toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis) 

(Globicephala melaena) 

Short-f inned pilot whale 

Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus ) 

(Globicephala macrorhynchus ) 

Y il ler whale 

Spinner dolphin (Stenella longisrostris) 

(Orcinus orca) 
Family : Phocoena 

Harbor porpoise 

(Phocoena phocoena) 

Dall's porpoise 

(Phocoenoides dallii) 

Family : Physeter idae 

Sperm whale 

(Physeter catodon) 

Pygmy sperm whale 

(Yogia breviceps) 

Dwarf sperm whale 

(Yogia - simus) 

Family: Monodontitae 

Beluga, belukha, white whale 

(Delphinapterus leucas ) 

Narwhale 

(Monodon monoceros) 

Family : Z iphi idae 

Baird's beaked whale 

(Berardius bairdii ) 

Order Carnivora 

Suborder Pinnipedia 

Seals, Sea Lions, and Walrus 

Pinnipeds (fin-footed animals) were once classified as 

a separate order of mammals. Based on information published 

10 years ago, they are classified now as a diverse group of 

carnivores (flesh-eating animals) that have adapted to 

marine life. The ancestors of sea lions and fur seals 

appeared 22 million years ago and are thought to be close to 

the ancestors of a group that preceded the modern bear. 

Hair (true) seals are considered to be between 14 to 16 

million years old and are tied closely to the carnivores 

that preceded the otter and weasel. Walruses, a member of 

the suborder Pinnipedia, are under the jurisdiction of the 

Department of the Interior. 

Pinnipeds have adapted several basic mammalian 

characteristics to a marine existence. They maintain a 

relatively constant body temperature similar to other 

mammals including humans. In fur seals, the constant body 

temperature is made possible by a coat of short stiff hairs 

over a heavy underfur while most other pinnipeds depend on a 

thick layer of blubber beneath the skin. This layer is an 

energy reservoir as well as a protective insulator in 

maintaining body temperature. Pinnipeds have adapted to 

diving by reserving oxygen for the brain and heart. 

Immediately on diving, their heart beat slows to 20 to 25 

percent of its rate at the surface. During diving, the 

digestive system does not function at full capacity and the 

muscular system operates on a supply of oxygen stored in the 

tissue. One species can dive and remain submerged for over 

an hour, and several other species can dive for 20 to 30 

minutes. 

Pinnipeds are not entirely pelagic and must spend some 

time each year on land or a solid place such as the ice 

pack. This is because successful births and nursing of the 

pups occur only along shorelines or ice packs. Like other 

mammals, they nourish their y.oung with rich milk. Delayed 

implantation, or the capacity to postpone the development of 

an embryo after conception, is another adaptation seals have 

made to the marine environment. This ability to cycle the 

gestation and birth of the pup is known in other species of 

mammals as well, notably weasels and bears. Gestation, the 

time from conception to birth, reaches a finely timed 

coordination in pinnipeds; females of several species give 
birth within one day af ter coming ashore, become impregnated 

within a few days of giving birth, nurse the newborn for a 

few weeks and return to the water with the next year's 

pregnancy. 



Family Otariidae 

Eared Sea Lions and Fur Seals 

Our knowledge of the history of sea lions and fur seals 

is based on fossil deposits found along the edge of the 

North Pacific Ocean from California to Japan. Sea lions and 

fur seals have relatively short, furled external ears. They 

are able to rotate both the fore and hind flipppers which 

allow them to stand, run, and climb. Since they have a 

polygamous (several mates ) social structure, breeding males 

establish territories and copulate with females that have 

previously given birth to pups. After the breeding season, 

males return to sea and feed while females make feeding 

trips to sea and return to nurse pups on land. Depending on 

the species, pups are usually weaned within 3 to 12 months 

after birth. The blubber layer of sea lions and the 

underfur beneath a strong net of guard hairs of fur seals 

provide insulation in extremely cold latitudes. Cold 

oceanic currents explain the presence of animals with heavy 

fur coats in tropical latitudes where during the mid to late 

1800s, some species of fur seals were reduced to remnants of 

their former populations due to the fur traders ' desire for 

their pelts. 
California Sea Lion 

Zalophus californianus 

The three subspecies of the California Sea Lion inhabit 

the Pacific Ocean from the Galapagos Islands to Baja 

California to British Columbia. A form in the Sea of Japan 

may be extinct. The California population, which is the 

largest, breeds along the Channel Islands and oceanic 

islands off Mexico. Adult males reach 7.2 ft in length and 

weigh 600 lbs; the females are 6 ft long and weigh 200 

lhs. Newborn pups weigh 11 to 13 lbs. After the breeding 

season, males migrate as far north as Washington and British 

Columbia. Females and juveniles frequent the coastal waters 

of California and Mexico. Males defend their territories in 

the rookery areas while the females move freely from one 

territory to the next. Rir ths occur from mid-May through 

June off California and from October to December in the 

Galapagos Islands. Gestation lasts 11. 5 to 12 months, and 

the pups may nurse for more than a year; the exact age of 

weaning varies. The females breed about 4 weeks after 

giving birth. 

This species adapts well to captivity and is the most 

commrnonly exhibited marine mammal species in the world. 

Under special conditions, it breeds well in captivity. 

Longevity records of 20 to 25 years are common. In the 

wild, this species feeds both day and night on squid, 

Pacific whiting, sardines, and opaleye fish. Killer whales 

and sharks prey on California sea lions. 

The California population of sea lions numbers about 

74,000 and the Mexican population about 83,000. The 

Galapagos Island population has stabil ized at about 20,000 

animals after recovering from sealing operations at the turn 

of the century. 

In 1983, there was a substantial decrease in pup 

production of northern fur seals and California sea lions in 

the Channel Islands, Calif. and in sea lions and fur seals 

in the Galapagos Islands. This decrease is being attributed 

to El Nino, the weather phenomenon of 1982/83 which 

dramatically reduced the availability of prey species for 

the nursing seals and sea lions. It has been reported that 

the females' usual one or two day feeding forages at sea 

turned into five or six day trips that resulted in weight 

loss and stress. 
Northern (Steller ) Sea Lion 

Eumetopias juhatus 

Northern sea lions are found in a large arc over the 

pacific that includes the Sea of Japan, the Bering Sea, 

Aleutian Islands, Gulf of Alaska and the Channel Islands off 

California. They are the largest otariid; adult males 

average about 2,000 lbs, and adult females about 660 lbs, 

The males are about 10 ft long; females are 6 to 7 ft 

long. Newborn pups are about 3.5 ft long and weigh 35 to 50 

lbs. The young are born from mid-May through June after a 

one year gestation period that includes a delayed 

implantation of about three months. The young are nursed 

for 8 to 11 months, and occasionally both a yearling and 

newborn are seen suckling from the mother. 

Pup mortality may be high in some rookeries due to 

males moving rapidly about trying to retain 10 to 20 cows in 

their territory. Groups of non-breeding bachelors are found 

at the edges of the main rookery areas. Males in the 

northern portion of the range migrate north after the 

breeding season. Females mature sexually at 4 to 5 years. 

Males mature at age 5 to 7 although they do not become 

competitive breeders defending territories until 7 to 9 

years of age. Territorial bulls are active breeders 

probably for only 3 to 5 years before they retire to 

bachelor groups. Northern sea lions have been known to live 

as long as 23 years. They feed on a wide variety of 

cephalopods and fish including walleye, pollock, Pacific 

cod, herring, shad, and lamprey. Killer whales some times 

prey on sea lions. 

The Alaskan population is estimated at over 200,000 

animals. The U.S.S.R. population is thought to be between 

20,000 to 30,000. The British Columbia population is about 

5,000; Oregon, about 2,000; and California, about 3,000. 
Northern Fur Seal 

Callorhinus ursinus 

The Northern fur seal is one of the best known species 

of pinnipeds. Its biology and management have been the 

focus of an international treaty for over 75 years. The 

females and juveniles are highly migratory and range in a 

great arc across the North Pacific from the Sea of Japan 

through the southern Bering Sea down to the Channel Islands 

(San Miguel Island) off southern California. With the 

exception of the San Miguel breeding population, the animals 

migrate north in June to several island complexes. The 

largest numbers congregate on the Pribilof Islands, eastern 

Bering Sea and lesser numbers on the Commander Islands, Sea 

of Okhotsk and Kuril Island in the western North Pacific. 

As the females come ashore, they are met by the 

breeding territorial bulls who attempt to keep a group of 

females close to them. A few days af ter coming ashore, a 

pregnant female will give birth to a single black pup which 

will weigh about 12 lbs. The pups are nursed for about four 

months and stay together in groups while their mothers are 

feeding at sea. In October, the seaward migration begins. 

~ost fur seals do not come ashore again during their first 

two years. Northern fur seals have a maximum life span of 

about 25 years. Females mature sexually between 3 and 4 

years of age and reach a breeding peak of a pup per year 

between 7 and 14 years of age, The gestation period is 

about one year and includes a delayed implantation of about 

4 months. Males mature sexually at 4 to 5 years but do not 

become effective breeders until 9 to 15 years old. Adult 

males are about 6.5 f t long and weigh up to 600 lbs; the 

females weigh up to 110 lbs and are about 4.5 f t long. Fur 

seals eat herring, anchovy, walleye pollock, Pacific 

whiting, capelin, salmon, and squid. Killer whales and 

sharks prey on northern fur seals; northern sea lions prey 

on fur seal pups. 

The number of northern fur seals declined during 1977- 

83 for reasons which are not .clear from research conducted 

to date. The number of sub-adult males harvested on the 

Pribilof Islands and number of pups born on both the 

Pribilof and Robben Islands declined including the numbers 

of territorial and idle adult males on the Pribilof Island, 

San Miguel Isl.and, and most of the Soviet Islands. The 

Commander Islands appear to be the only major breeding area 

which is not exhibiting marked long term declines. The 

number of pups born on the Pribilof Islands in 1980 was less 
than 50 percent of the levels in the 1940s and early 

1950s. On Robben Island, the number of pups born in 1980 

was less than 50 percent of the number born in the mid1960s. Within the last five years, a very small breeding 

population (less than 50 pups annually) has been established 

on Bogoslof Island in the Bering Sea. 

A commercial harvest of females on the Pribilof Islands 

conducted during 1956 through 1968 reduced the number of 

females, and, as a result, the number of pups born on 

St. Paul Island decreased from about 450,000 in the mid1950s to less than 250,000 in the late 1960s. This led to a 

reduction in the recruitment of subadult males of 

harves table ages and, theref ore, a decline in the harvest. 

Overall, the number of males harvested on St. Paul Island 

has declined since the mid 1950's. From 1976 to 1983, the 

number of pups born on St. Paul Island declined from about 

298,000 to about 166,000 following a slight increase during 

1968-76 following the harvest of females. On Robben Island, 

the numbers of pups born declined from levels as high as 

60,000 in the mid-1960s to about 22,000 in 1980. No 

comparable trends were observed on the Commander Islands. 

The total population associated with San Miguel Island, 

California, has increased a1 though the number of pups born 

in 1983 decreased from the number born in previous years. 

There are an estimated 865,000 animals in Alaskan 

waters; 463,000 in Soviet waters; and 4,000 in southern 

California waters. 
Guadalupe Fur Seal 

Ar ctocephalus townsendi 

After 1923, the Guadalupe fur seal generally was 

regarded as extinct. In 1949, one adult male was seen on 

San Micolas Island off California, and a breeding colony was 

discovered on Guadalupe Island off Mexico in 1954. 

Observers have counted a population of 1,000 fur seals on 

Guadalupe Island along with occasional sigh tings of animals 

in the offshore waters of Baja California and southern 

California. Since 1968, small numbers of non-breeding 

animals, usually sub-adult males, have been observed on 

San Miguel in the Channel Islands off California. Estimates 

of the population prior to commercial sealing are as high as 

200,000 on Guadalupe Island alone. 

The estimated length for adult males is about 6.5 ft; 

4.5 ft females; and 2 ft for newborn pups. Adult males 

weigh about 300 lbs and females about 100 lbs. Pups are 

born in June and July when the adult males establish 

breeding territories in caves and rocky recesses. 

The small population on Guadalupe Island has survived 

as a breeding colony largely due to its inaccessible and 

usually unnoticed rookery sites. A few non-breeding 

individuals have been sighted on San Miguel Island; 

California, each year since 1968. 

Family Phocidae 

Hair (True) Seals 

Hair seals are relatively young in the fossil record 

and are not as well known as the otariids. Their 

development probably took place in the North Atlantic Ocean 

basin. Their modern range in the northern and southern 

hemispheres is a recent dispersal thought to have preceded 

the pleistocene ice ages. Hair seals have smooth, round 

earless heads. The newborn phocid has a coat of lanugo hair 

which in several northern hernipshere species is white. A 

lanugo coat, or birth hair, provides warmth and protection 

in the first weeks of life. This coat can be also gray or 

black. Retaining a white coat after birth is thought to be 

an adaptive response to their habitat that protects them 

from predators. In the northern hemisphere, polar bears 

feed on both the young and adults on ice and at sea. For 

some species, this predatory pressure is a substantial 

factor in their reproductive success each year. The general 

social structure of hair seals is monogamous (one mate) with 

little atttempt by males to hold territories of females. 

Exceptions are found in the polygamous organization of gray 

and Weddell seals and in the territorial defense of the 

elephant seals (genus Mirounga) . 

The limb structure, and, therefore, the locomotion, of 

hair seals is markedly different from the eared seals. The 

hind flippers of the hair seals do not extend at an angle 

from the body, but are held in a straight line axis. Their 

locomotion on land resembles an inch worm .... when the 

weight of the rear part of the body is thrown forward, it 

gives the animal a rippling eEfect as it moves. 
Largha (Spotted ) Seal 

Phoca largha 

Largha seals are found in the Reaufort, Chukchi, and 

Okhotsk Seas and northwestern parts of the Yellow Sea off 

Japan. During the winter and early spring, they associate 

closely with the ice pack and large ice flows on which they 

depend for a place to give birth and nurse their young. As 

the ice retreats in summer and autumn, they move north and 

form large groups on coastal shores. 

The newborn have a white wooly lanugo coat and weigh 

about 15 to 22 lbs. Gestation is about 10.5 months and pups 

are nursed for one month. The pups are usually born from 

late March through mid April. Males mature sexually between 

4 and 5 years, females between 3 and 4 years. Largha seals 

are known to live for 35 years. Males grow to 5.6 f t in 

length while the females are slightly smaller and average 

about 5 ft long. Adults weigh between 200 to 250 lbs. 

Largha seals feed on a variety of fish, squid, and 

crustacea. Polar bears, walrus, foxes and killer whales 

prey on largha seals. 

The Bering Sea population ( including Alaskan waters ) is 

estimated at 200,000 to 250,000 animals. The total world 

population is estimated to be 335,000 to 450,000 animals. 

There are regulated hunts for largha seals in U.S.S.R. 

waters . 
Harbor Seal 

Phoca v i tu 1 ina 

The three commonly recognized subspecies of harbor 

seals are widely dispersed in the Atlantic, Arctic, and 

Pacific Ocean basins. There are a few populations in fresh 

water lakes. Harbor seals range from temperate and semitropical latitudes (Baja California) to above the Arctic 

circle (Ellesmere Island and Hudson's Bay, Canada ) . Generally, harbor seals move ahead of advancing ice packs. 

~lthough harbor seals are generally solitary animals, they 

gather at feeding sites and haul out areas. There are no 

terrestrial territories during the breeding season. 

The females give birth to a single spotted pup after a 

gestation period of 10.5 to 11 months that includes a 

delayed implantation of 2 months, and breeding occurs in the 

water. The young nurse for 4 to 6 weeks. Females mature 

sexually at 2 to 5 years of age, males between 3 to 6 

years. Lengths and weights of adults vary depending on the 

area they inhabit. Adults range from 3.6 to 6 ft in length 

and weigh between 100 and 230 lbs. Pups are from 2.5 to 3 

ft long and weigh 20 to 25 lbs at birth. Harbor seals feed 

on octopods, squid and a variety of fish including herring, 

smelt, salmon, and cod. Dives to depths of 1,000 ft and for 

23 minutes have been recorded. Harbor seals live up to 40 

years. Eagles, foxes, and coyotes prey on the newborn and 

young; sharks, killer whales, northern sea lions, bears, and 

walruses prey on the older animals. 

Harbor seals are considered abundant throughout most of 

their range. Populations have increased substantially in 

the last 10 years. European populations are estimated at 

48,000 to 51,500 animals, eastern Canada at 20,000 to' 

30,000, and U.S. Atlantic waters at 10,000 to 15,000. At 

least 312,000 to 317,000 animals inhabit the Pacific Ocean 

although actual populations in this region may be higher. 
Ringed Seal 

Phoca hispida 

The ringed seal, found on the pack ice of the Arctic 

basin in summer and among the pressure ridges of the fast 

ice near the shore in winter, is probably the most abundant 

seal in the northern hemisphere. It is the only pinniped 

species which attempts to provide the newborn with a 

protected hiding place, or birth lair. Females give birth 

to a single white coated pup in the crevices and cracks of 

the fast ice pressure ridges or in drifts of frozen snow. 

They maintain breathing holes near these lairs while nursing 

their pup for 4 to 6 weeks. The pups are 1.6 to 2 ft long 

at birth and weigh between 9 and 11 lbs. Males mature 

sexually at 7 years and females at 5 to 8 years. Gestation 

lasts for 10.5 to 11 months including a delayed implantation 

period of 3.5 months. Breeding occurs in the first month 

after the female gives birth. 

The size and weight of the' six recognized subspecies of 

ringed seals vary considerably. Adults average about 4.5 f t 

in length and weigh 143 lbs. The diet of the ringed seal 

depends on the food available given ice conditions. In the 

autumn and winter, they feed primarily on polar cod; in the 

spring and summer, they feed on plankton and crustaceans. 

~rctic foxes prey on the pups, and polar bears feed on pups 

and adults. 

This species is hunted for subsistence needs throughout 

most of its range. The estimated population number of 6 to 

7 million ringed seals makes this species the most abundant 

pinniped in the Arctic basin. 
Harp Seal 

Phoca groenland ica 

There are three groups in the world population of harp 

seals including one in the White Sea off the Soviet Union, a 

group in the Norwegian Sea around the Labrador Coast, and 

one in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada. The Northwest 

Atlantic stock may be genetically distinct from the other 

stocks. The harp seal associates with the pack ice of the 

North Atlantic and adjacent Arctic Ocean. Most of the known 

biology of this species is based on information obtained 

when the animals congregate on the ice packs for pupping and 

breeding. Thousands of females can be found some distance 

away from the ice-water edge among the pressure ridges and 

hummocks of the large ice floes where the pups are born and 

where there is some protection from wind and snow. Most 

births occur in the last week of February and first week of 

March after a gestation period of 11.5 months that includes 

a delayed implantation of 4.5 months. Pups are born with a 

white lanugo coat which molts in about 4 weeks to a spotted 

gray coat. Nursing lasts 10 to 12 days with the protective 

mother visiting the pup through breathing holes maintained 

in the ice. 

Harp seals are about 3 to 3.5 f t long at birth and 

weigh about 22 lbs. Adults males are about 5.5 f t in 

length; adult females are 5.3 ft long. Adult weight ranges 

from 187 to 419 lbs depending on the time of year. Males 

probably breed with one or a few females. Females mature 

sexually at about 5 years, males at 6 years. Harp seals may 

live 35 years or more. They feed on capelin, cod£ ishes, 

herring, squid, and many species of crustaceans, including 

shrimp. Sharks, killer whales, and polar bears are known 

predators of harp seals. 

The total world population is estimated to be between 

1.6 and 3.2 million animals. The Norwegian (,Tan Mayen 

Island) population is estimated at 500,000 to 1 million, and 

the White Sea population is estimated at 100,000-150,000 

seals. The western North Atlantic population which breeds 

in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off Newfoundland is 

estimated from 1.05 (other than pups) to 2 million 

animals. Pup production for the Northwest Atlantic stock is 

estimated to be between 380,000 and 500,000 annually. 

The harp seal is hunted for its skins by Canada, Norway 

and the USSR. In 1971, Canada and Norway agreed to limit 

the number of seals allowed to be taken in response to 
recommendations by a panel of international scientists. 

From 1977-1983, the quota has been between 170,000 and 

186,000 (about 100,000 are pups) annually. The Government 

of Canada reported a take of 55,914 harp seals for the 1983 

season. The annual hunt for the white coats, pups less than 

three weeks old, did not take place in 1983 and 1984. Along 

with concerns from environmental groups about the harp seal 

hunt, there has been a decline in the demand for seal pelts 

in the traditional European markets. In October 1983, the 

European Economic Community placed a two-year ban on imports 

of harp .and hooded seal pup products. Recently, about 

9,000-10,000 harp seals have been caught incidentally each 

year in cod fishery gill nets off Norway. 
Ribbon seal 

Phoca fasciata 

The ribbon seal, found in the Bering and Okhotsk Seas 

and to some degree in the Chukchi Sea, is one of the lesser 

known seals of the northern hemisphere. It is an animal of 

the ice pack and floes. The average adult is about 5 f t 

long and weighs about 150 lbs. Most pups are born on the 

ice in April. They are about 2.8 ft in length at birth and 

weigh about 23 lbs. The newborn has a coat of white lanugo 

hair which is shed within a month of birth. Nursing 

probably lasts from 3 to 4 weeks. Gestation is about 11 

months including delayed implantation. Their life span is 

between 22 to 26 years. Females mature sexually between 2 

to 4 years; males between 3 to 5 years. As the ice pack 

recedes in spring and summer, ribbon seals return to the 

open sea. They feed on a variety of fish, squid, and small 

crustaceans. 

From 1961 through 1967, large numbers of this species 

were taken in the waters off the Soviet Union. In 1968, the 

take was reduced because of a noticeable drop in the 

population; by the mid 1970, the numbers were increasing, A 

small number is being taken by Alaskan natives for 

subsistence. The north circumpolar population is estimated 

to be between 200,000 and 250,000 animals. 
Gray seal 

Halichoerus grypus 

This North Atlantic animal is Eound in temperate and 

subarctic waters. Three stocks are recognized; western 

Atlantic (Canada), eastern Atlantic (Iceland, Britain, and 

Norway), and an ice breeding population in the Baltic Sea. 

There is a breeding colony of gray seals near Nantucket 

Island, Masachusetts. Gray seals are large and have a long 

fleshy nose and fore flippers with long claws which become 

worn with age. Adults do not migrate, but younger animals 

scatter over wide areas. One animal taqged in Canada was 

taken off Norway and animals tagged on Sable Island, Nova 

Scotia, have been found in New Jersey. Pupping in Canadian 

waters occurs mostly in January; in Baltic waters, births 

are generally in February-March; and in Britain, pups are 

generally born from September to November. 

Adult males are about 7 f t long and weigh about 500 

1 bs. Females are about 6 f t long. The newborn are 2.6 to 

3.4 ft long, weigh about 32 lbs, and have a white lanugo 

coat which they shed in two to three weeks. Females mature 

sexually in 4 to 7 years; males are similar, but do not hold 

territories until their 10th year. Mating takes place at 

the end of the nursing period, usually 3 to 4 weeks after 

birth. Nursing females do not feed af ter giving birth until 

weaning, and all of the energy for milk production comes 

from metabolism of blubber and other body tissue. Gestation 

is 11.5 months including a delayed implantation of 3 

months. Males 26 years old and females 46 years old have 

been recorded. One animal lived 43 years in captivity. 

Gray seals are exhibited in public displays although they do 

not mix well with other species. They eat halibut, cod, 

haddock, lamprey, salmon, herring, cephalopods and 

crustaceans. 

The populations of this species are considered to be 

increasing. Current estimates are 24,000-55,000 for the 

western Atlantic stock; about 76,000 for the eastern 

Atlantic stock; and 1,000--1,500 for the Baltic stock. In 

recent years, some gray seals have been killed to control 

stock size. About 3,000 seals were taken in Canadian and 

British waters during 1980. They interact with commercial 

fisheries by preying on marketable fish, e.g. herring and 

salmon; damaging fishing gear; and they are the principal 

transmitter of the codworm to the Atlantic cod. 
Bearded Seal 

Er ignathus bar ha tus 

The bearded seal, the largest phocid in the Arctic 

Ocean basin, is circumpolar in its distribution. These 

animals generally associate with the moving pack ice as it 

advances and recedes each winter and summer. They are 

solitary animals except when they form small groups in the 

breeding season. Their ice habitat brings them as far south 

in the Atlantic Ocean area as the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 

Canada, Scotland, and Norway, and, in the Pacific, to 

Hokkaido, Japan. In U.S. waters, they are Eound in the 

Beaufort and Bering Seas. They have been observed residing 

in the fast ice along the shore where they maintain 

breathing holes. 

They share characteristics with walrus such as size, a 

habit of almost exclusively feeding on bottom dwelling 

invertebrates, and long bearded whiskers which form a 

moustache. Both sexes are similar in size averaging about 8 

Et in length and 532 lbs in weight. The pups are about 2.6 

ft long at birth and weigh about 95 lbs. Pups almost triple 

their weight a£ ter nursing for 12 to 18 days. Breeding 

occurs in May and the gestation period is 10.5 to 11 months 

including a delayed implantation of 2.5 to 3 months. 

Females mature sexually at 5 to 6 years, males at 6 to 7 

years. Animals 31 years old have been recorded in one 

area. Polar bears prey heavily on bearded seals 

congregating on the ice. Killer whales also prey on this 

species. There are records of bearded seals being kept in 

captivity, but they are not common in public displays. 

The total population probably exceeds 500,000 

animals. About 10,000 to 13,000 animals are taken annually 

by subsistence hunters in Norwegian, TJ. S. S.R. and U. S. 

waters . 
Hawaiian Monk Seal 

Monachus schauinslandi 

The Hawaiian monk seal is one of three species in the 

genus Monachus. The Caribbean monk seal, Monachus 

tropicalis, is generally considered to be extinct; the last 

unconfirmed report of 20 animals was in 1967. The 

Mediterranean monk seal, M. monachus, survives in small 

numbers in separate colonss on the A f r i c a n - A t l a n t ic and 

European-Afr ican Mediterranean coasts. The Hawaiian 

species, M. schauinslandi, is found on Nihoa Island, Necker 

Island, ~znch Frigate Shoals, Lisianski Island, Laysan 

Island, Pearl and Hermes Reef, Midway Island, and Yure 

Atoll, all in the leeward Hawaiian Islands. They are not 

known to migrate, but they do move among the islands and 

they are found scattered along sandy beaches and in 

shoreline vegetation. 

Mating takes place in the water; pups are born from 

December through July with a peak birth time in April and 

May. Newborns are about 3.3 f t long and weigh between 35 to 

37 lbs. Some mature females give birth to pups each year; 

many give birth every other year. Adult females are about 

7.6 f t long and weigh about 600 lbs; males average 7 f t in 

length and weigh about 380 lbs. Little is known about 

longevity; however, a 20 year old male has been reported. 

The monk seal feeds among the coral reefs on a wide variety 

of fish and invertebrates including eels, octopus, and 

lobster. A variety of large predator sharks frequent these 

reefs and attempt to feed on monk seals as evidenced by many 

animals with large extensive scars. The toxic disease 

cigutera has been implicated as a mortality factor in this 

spe ci es . 

The Hawaiian monk seal is intolerant of human 

disturbance and readily abandons breeding and haulout areas 

if not protected. 1J.S. military installations have 

restricted movements of personnel to minimize disturbances 

on these islands. This species, with a population of about 

500 to 1,500 animals, is endangered. Currently, NMFS is 

implementing research and management programs to aid 

recovery of this endangered species. 
Crabea ter Seal 

Lobodon car cinophaga 

The crabeater seal is probably the most abundant 

species of pinniped in the world. It is an animal of the 

Antarctic drifting pack ice and is found in greatest 

abundance at the broken edge of the pack. In the late 

Antarctic summer when the ice is at its minimum, crabeater 

seals come close to the shoreline of the continent. There 

are no known migratory movements for this species, and the 

forming of groups depends on the advancing and retreating 

ice pack. As with other Antarctic seals, crabeaters have 

cusps on each of the premolar and molar teeth in contrast to 

the cone shaped teeth of other seals. When the upper and 

lower teeth are brought together, the teeth form a close 

knit filter structure. The major food of this species is 

krill (tiny shrimp-like organisms ) from the Southern Ocean. 

Newborn pups are about 4 f t long and weigh about 44 

lbs; the adult males are about 8.4 f t long and weigh about 

490 lbs; the females are about 8.6 f t long and weigh 500 

lbs. Pups are born in September and October; nursing lasts 

about one month. The young are born with a light gray 

lanugo coat and reach adult size in four months. Breeding 

probably occurs within 2 to 3 weeks after females give 

birth. Gestation lasts 11 months including a delayed 

implantation of 2 to 3 months. This species may live as 

long as 33 years. Predators include killer whales and 

leopard seals. 

The estimated population size of 15 million animals is 

greater than all the other pinniped species combined. 
Ross Seal 

Ommatophoca rossii 

Although there is considerable knowledge of the biology 

of Antarctic hair seals, the Ross seal remains one of the 

least understood pinnipeds. This seal prefers the heavy 

consolidated ice pack where ice breakers or aircraft are the 

only means of access. They have large plump bodies with a 

short wide head that can be pulled into rolls of blubber 

around the neck, and they make cooing and trilling noises as 

they lift their head and inflate the throat in a "singing" 

posture. 

Biological data are based on a few specimens. Adult 

males average a little over 6 ft in length and weigh about 

380 lbs; females average about 7 f t long and about 400 

lbs. Newborn are abut 3.5 f t long and weigh about 60 lbs. 

Females mature sexually at 3 to 4 years and males between 2 

and 7 years. Although their life span is unknown, an animal 

at least 12 years old has been recorded. Ross seals eat 

mostly cephalopods, and feed under the great thickness of 

the heavy pack ice where there is little light. 

There is no reason to think this species has 

experienced a decline in numbers. Antarctic sealing 

activities did not involve species found in the pack ice to 

any great extent. More information on its biology and 

ecology is needed before its role in the ecosystem can be 

asessed. The population estimate of 220,000 animals is 

probably low. 
Leopard Seal 

Hydrurga leptonyx 

The leopard seal, a major predator of penguins and 

seals throughout the drift ice areas of the Antarctic, is a 

straggler on the shores of all southern continents and hauls 

out on many of the sub-Antarctic islands. It has a long 

streamlined body, a large head with a wide gaping mouth, and 

long tapered fore-flippers. Most sightings have been of 

single animals. 

Although adult males reach an average length of about 9 

ft, some are known to reach 10.5 ft. They usually weigh 

about 700 lbs, but some weigh up to 1,000 lbs. Females are 

about 9.4 f t long and weigh about 800 lbs, but weights up to 

1,300 lbs have been recorded. Pups are born in November and 

December and weigh about 77 1 bs and are about 5 f t long. 

Females reach sexual maturity at 3 to 7 years and males 

betweeen 2 to 6 years of age. Longevity is estimated at 

more than 26 years. Leopard seals feed on krill, an 

abundant food source that may be especially important to the 

young animals. Killer whales prey on leopard seals, and 

leopard seals are known to prey on crabeater seals. They 

have been displayed in public facilities. 

The leopard seal is not hunted in any country and is 

under the regulatory regimes of international treaties. The 

total population is estimated at about 500,000 animals. 
Weddell Seal 

Leptonychotes weddelli 

The Weddell seal is an animal of the Antarctic fast ice 

attached to shores of islands and the continent. Breeding 

colonies are known on the island of South Georgia and strays 

have been seen as far north as Uruguay. It is not 

considered a migratory species, but its seasonal abundance 

is in£ luenced by the development of fast ice and tidal 

cracks in the ice which give it access to the surface. The 

pupping season is from September through November. Females 

come up on the ice through cracks that are kept open through 

repeated use. Groups of females haul out around these holes 

and cracks and frequently return to the water to feed. 

Males spend much of their time below the ice establishing 

territories and competing with other males. 

Adults are from 7 to 11 ft long and weigh between 700 

to 1,200 lbs. Pups are born with a gray and dark lanugo 

coat and molt about the time they are weaned at six weeks of 

age. They grow rapidly from a birth weight of about 50 lbs 

to 275 lbs when weaned. Mating takes place in the water 

near the breathing holes. Gestation is about 11 months 

including a delayed implantation of 2 months. Both sexes 

mature between 3 to 6 years of age although males probably 

do not mature socially until 7 or 8 years. Leopard seals 

prey on this species as do killer whales to a lesser 

extent. Weddell seals eat a wide variety of invertebrates 

including krill and fish. Weddell seals are the longest and 

deepest diving pinnipeds. A dive of 1,900 feet for 70 

minutes has been recorded, although they probably feed 

between 990 to 1,320 ft. These seals are known to live at 

least 25 years. 

Since it is difficult to observe the animals in their 

preferred habitat, the shore-£ ast ice, a population estimate 

of 750,000 animals is considered conservative. The world 

population is considered stable. 
Northern Elephant Seal 

Mirounga - angustirostris 

The Northern elephant seal, the second largest species 

of pinnipeds, is found on of fshore islands from Central Baja 

California to Pt. Reyes, north of San Francisco. Because 

the male defends territories on the beach and battles with 

other males to defend this territory, the elephant seal 

differs from other phocids in its social organization. 

While the females are able to move away from combatant 

males, the less mobile pups are occasionally crushed by the 

males. Although they do not have defined migration 

patterns, weaned pups scatter northward over a wide area. 

Elephant seals can be found on rookeries at all times of the 

year although some wander as far north as southeastern 

Alaska and have been recorded over 125 miles off shore. 

Pups are born from December through February af ter a 

gestation period of 11.3 months including a delayed 

implantation of about 3 months. They weigh between 69 to 79 

lbs at birth and after 4 weeks of nursing, their weight 

reaches about 345 lbs. Adult males are 14 f t long and weigh 

between 3,960 and 5,940 lbs; the females are 12 ft long and 

weigh around 1,980 lbs. Females mature sexually between 3 

and 5 years while the males mature between 4 and 5 years and 

become territorial breeding bulls at age 9 or 10. Northern 

elephant seals have relatively short lives, usually about 14 

years. They are deep divers feeding on fish below 50 

fathoms as well as fish in shallow depths. 

This species has made a remarkable recovery in its 

population numbers. In 1392, it was estimated that only 100 

elephant seals remained, and they inhabited Guadalupe 

Island, Mexico. The total population now is about 100,000 

animals. 

Order Cetacea 

Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises 

Cetaceans as an order of mammals, including whales, 

dolphins and porpoises, are about 65 million years old. In 

the last twenty years, the fossil record for this group has 

become much better understood. One extinct group, the 

suborder Archeoceti (oldest whales ) which preceded the two 

living suborders, baleen whales and toothed whales, displays 

many characters of the land dwelling origins of the cetacea 

yet they developed special qualities for life at sea. These 

early whales had teeth in both the upper and lower jaws, 

small hind limb bones not connected to the spinal column, 

and nostrils placed forward or on the middle of their long 

snout. Their teeth were triangular shaped, and a 

specialization of the inner ear suggests that hearing 

underwater sounds was an early adaptation of livinq 

completely at sea. One of these early whales possesses the 

ear structure of baleen whales and small teeth in both the 

upper and lower jaws. The two living suborders were 

established about 50 million years ago and by that time had 

completely developed the special characteristics of the 

order. The tail was horizontal (instead of vertical as in 

fish and extinct marine reptiles); it had no bony support 

but was comprised of a new structure, blubber. The nostrils 

(blowholes) had migrated back to the front of the brain case 

which allowed breathing from the top of the head while the 

hones of the snout had lengthened. Another new structure 

not found in other mammals was a dorsal fin consisting of 

only blubber and blood vessels. 

Since whales are air breathers, they have had to adapt 

to a life at sea. Like other mammals, they bear their young 

alive. Also, whales regulate their body temperature above 

their surroundings. Cetaceans are insulated by blubber, a 

fatty layer beneath the skin; it differs Erom the blubber of 

seals since it retains its structure even when the animal 

has not been feeding. Because whales produce some of the 

richest milk of all the mammals, there is a phenomenal 

growth rate in calves. Also cetaceans have the advantage of 

buoyancy which contributes t6 a faster growth rate than most 

land dwelling animals. A fatty oil is present throughout 

most of their body systems except for the brain and central 

nervous system. In all living cetaceans, the brain is large 

compared to the body weight, and the areas associated with 

hearing are dominant. All species possess a multi-chambered 

stomach that digests food usually swallowed whole. The 

kidneys of whales are comprised of dozens to several hundred 
smaller units, each with the structure of a single kidney. 

Whales have a moderately long gestation period and nurse 

their young for a year or longer. They can experience 

multiple pregnancies similar to other large mammals although 

twins or triplets probably do not survive after birth. All 

of the living cetaceans have a reduced hind limb structure 

which is set in the muscles near the anus. In some abnormal 

cases, these bones may protrude through the blubber. By 

severing all ties to land, cetaceans have made the most 

changes in the evolution of marine mammals. 



This hqback whale, nicknamd "Cats Paw" by researchers, 

has an unusual feeding style. After surfacing vertically 

with a closed muth, she opens her mouth as she backs 

into the water and resurfaces to feed in a typical lunge 

through schools of sand lance. Although she uses this 

technique frequently, it is not well understood. 
Photos by Mason Weinrich, Cetacean Research Unit, 

Gloucester Fisherman's Museum, Gloucester, Mass. 
Suborder Mys ticeti 

Baleen Whales 

There are three living families of baleen whales; the 

rorquals (6 species), the right whales (3 species), and the 

gray whale. Instead of teeth in the upper jaws, they have 

two rows of baleen plates (whale bone) which hang down from 

the roof of the mouth. Each plate is fringed with hair-like 

bristles wrapped in material similar to fingernails 

(keratin). Af ter the whale scoops up water, the tongue 

scrapes the inner surface of the plates and the bristles 

which are mated together filter the whale's food, and the 

water is strained out of the mouth. Each speices of baleen 

has a different texture of bristles. Sei whale baleen 

bristles are thin and soft, forming a filter like silky 

hair. The right whale baleen plates are over 6 feet long 

and contain sparse coarse fibers. 

One of the baleens, the blue whale, is the largest 

animal known living or extinct. The accepted record length 

is 102 feet for an animal taken south of New Zealand. In 

contrast, the pigmy right whale in the Southern hemisphere 

grows only 16 to 18 feet long as an adult. Baleen whales do 

not travel in large herds. All of the species probably 

migrate according to seasons. The best known example is the 

gray whale's 11,000 mile annual trek south and return to the 

Bering Sea. Except for the bowhead whale, the various 

species breed and give birth in warmer temperate and 

tropical waters and move to the nutrient rich waters of the 

higher latitudes to feed and nurse their young. 
Family Eschrich tiidae 

Gray whale 

Although many skeletal remnants of the Atlantic form 

are known from European waters, notably the Baltic and 

eastern North American waters, the only living species in 

this family is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Bering 

and Chukchi Seas. The Atlantic form is being studied to 

determine if the term "scag whale" in the accounts of early 

European whalers referred to an Atlantic gray or if it was a 

reference to small or sickly animals. A western population 

winters off Japan and in the Yellow Sea and is considered 

severely depleted; a few reports indicate this species still 

can be found there. 

Most of the many specimens of fossil gray whales that 

are being studied are from California, but some are from 

other areas around the Pacific basin. Both their lack of 

speed and a streamlined body distinguish them from the other 

two families of baleen whales. The upper jaws with two rows 

of baleen plates have a low arch, and a profile of the head 

reveals that the lower jaws and lips are not especially 

dominant features. In place of a dorsal fin, there are 9 to 

14 bumps or knuckles along the midline of the tail. They 

have 2 or 3 variable throat creases or grooves which are 

unlike those in rorquals. Although the general form of the 

gray whale is intermediate between the two other families, 

the fossil record does not support the idea that it preceded 

the other groups. 
Gray Whale 

Eschrichtius robustus 

The gray whale is one of the better known cetaceans and 

has been studied extensively over the last twenty years. 

Every fall, this species migrates up to 11,000 miles from 

the Bering and Chukchi Seas to lagoons in Baja California. 

They move through Unimak Pass in the Aleutian Island chain, 

travel close to shore along the west coast to California and 

arrive in the calving and breeding lagoons in January. Many 

of the younger migrants seen throughout the summer have 

traveled only halfway to the northern feedinq grounds of the 

adults. 

Male gray whales average less than 40 ft in body length 

and reach sexual maturity at 5 to 11 years. Females 

probably bear a calf every other year or more. Gestation is 

12 to 13 months and nursing lasts about 7 to 8 months. The 

newborn are about 16 f t long. The gray whale feeds on the 

bottom of the ocean and rakes through the mud with its stiff 

rows of baleen. They eat a wide variety of invertebrates, 

usually amphipods (small crustaceans such as sand 

hoppers). These whales are covered with large numbers of 

shelled barnacles and are host to great colonies of whale 

lice which show up as patches of yellow against the whales 

mottled gray pattern. 

The eastern Pacific population is estimated at 17,000 

animals. 
Family Balaenopter idae 

Rorquals 

The rorquals are the fastest swimmers of the baleen 

whales. They feed heavily on plankton and several types of 

school fish in the northern hemisphere and almost 

exclusively on plankton (krill) in the southern hemisphere. 

With the exception of the Bryde's whale, the migration of 

northern and southern populations alternate be tween high 

cold latitudes and tropical temperate waters in each 

hemisphere. In July, August and September, the southern 

rorquals are in the tropical wintering grounds of southern 

hemipshere waters and are not in contact with their northern 

hemisphere counterparts which are feeding in the higher 

latitude temperate or arctic waters. There are records of 

rorquals tagged in the southern hemisphere being recovered 

in the tropical North Pacific but mixing of the populations 

of each hemisphere is not thought to be significant. This 

family contains two living genera, Dalaenoptera with 5 

species and Megaptera with 1 species. Adults range in size 

from 30 ft (minke) to over 100 ft (blue). 

These whales have grooves or pleats in their throat 

that extend from the chin to various levels from the chest 

to the navel. Throat grooves contain both blubber and a 

thin sheet of muscles. Sailors and cetologists often have 

speculated on the function of the grooves. Both aerial and 

underwater films of feeding blue, fin, and humpback whales 

reveal that the extended grooves increase the size of the 

head and chest 2 to 3 times larger than the rest of the 

body. The volume of food and water filtered through the 

baleen rows is equal to or greater than the tremendous 

amounts found in the huge mouths of right and bowhead 

whales. When feeding, these otherwise sleek whales resemble 

gu ppi es . 
Minke Whale 

Balaenoptera acu toros trata 

The minke whale, the smallest member of this family, is 

found in all of the world's oceans. It migrates between 

temperate tropical waters and high latitudes. In the 

Antarctic, it feeds among the fields of drift pack ice and 

sometimes becomes trapped in the ice where it must maintain 

an open area for breathing. In the North Atlantic, it feeds 

on fish, notably capelin; in the Southern Ocean, it feeds 

almost exclusively on krill. This wide ranging species has 

many variations in color pattern and hue. Adults range from 

22 to 33 ft in length. The calf is 2 to 9 ft long at birth 

and is weaned at about 6 months. Sexual maturity occurs at 

about 6 to 7 years of age for whales in the southern 

hemisphere and at 7 to 8 years in the northern hemisphere. 

Females usually give birth every year. 

This species is the only baleen whale taken 

commercially in the southern hemisphere where its population 

is estimated at greater than 300,000. The North Atlantic 

population is about 80,000-120,000 animals. An estimate for 

the North Pacific has not been developed. 
Sei Whale 

Balaenoptera borealis 

The sei whale is named af ter the Norwegian word for 

pollock, a species of fish. Sei whales migrate from 

tropical to high latitudes in both hemispheres. They are 

smaller than the fin whales, but have the largest dorsal fin 

in proportion to the other species in this genus. Their 

fine almost silken baleen allows them to feed on some of the 

smallest food items, copepods (minute crustaceans ) , of any 

whales. In the northern hemisphere, they also feed on 

school fish such as herring, sardines, anchovy, and sauries. 

Sei whales travel in groups of 2 to 5, and many of 

these groups will gather in a small area. Sei whales mature 

sexually when they are between 6 and 12 years old. Males 

grow to lengths of about 53 ft and females about 55 ft. 

Gestation is 11 to 12 months. The newborn calf is about 15 

f t long. Nursing lasts 6 to 7 months or until the weaned 

calf is about 28 ft long. Sei whales taken off the 

California coast have been infected with a disease that 

disintegrates the baleen plates which are replaced by a 

hairy-like growth. Without the baleen plates, the whales 

are unable to feed. 

In the North Pacific and Southern Oceans, sei whales 

are listed as a protected stock by the IWC. In the North 

Atlantic, a quota and regulations are set for this species 

for Icelandic whaling. In other areas of the world, this 

species is considered to be below its maximum sustainable 

yield, but not depleted. The total world population may be 

about 42,000 animals. 

It is estimated that the Nova Scotia Management stock 

of sei whales ranges from 1,398 to 2,248. The Cetacean and 

Turtle Assessment Program (CETAP) reports that seasonal 

populations in the U.S. western North Atlantic from Cape 

Hatteras north to the Gulf of Maine peak at 280 animals in 

the spring. 
Bryde 's Whale 

Balaenoptera edeni 

Bryde's whales are found in warm temperate waters in 

all the oceans. They are of ten con£ used with sei whales 

since they are similar in size and form. This species has a 

smaller d.orsa1 fin, three ridges on the top of the snout and 

a change in the color of the baleen plates from the front to 

the back of the mouth. It is the only rorqual that does not 

migrate to high latitudes to feed and to nurse its young. 

It has coarse baleen bristles and feeds on fish and a 

variety of plankton . Bryde's whales are between 43 and 45 

ft long as adults; they become sexually mature when they 

reach about 40 to 41 ft in length. In South African waters, 

they breed all year; in the northern hemispheres, breeding 

probably occurs from November through February. Gestation 

is about 1 year. They have been reported traveling in pairs 

and groups of up to ten. 

Although population estimates are being developed, the 

process has been complicated by the use of data gathered 

when both scientists and whalers confused this species with 

the sei whale. The North Pacific population is estimated at 

about 20,000 whales, and the population off Peru is 

estimated to be 15,000-20,000; estimates for other areas 

have not been developed. 
Fin Whale 

Ralaenoptera physalus 

The fin whale is the second largest species of rorqual 

with a recorded length of 82 ft although it's usually about 

60 to 75 f t long. The female is slightly larger than the 

male. It moves in groups of 2 to 5 animals, but 

aggregations of 50 to 100 have been seen within a few square 

miles. Although found in all oceans, its high latitude 

migrations are not as extensive as other species. They have 

a striking asymmetrical color pattern on the head that is 

consistently white on the right side of the head as well as 

the belly which may be an advantage when the whale attacks a 

school of fish. The standard marine mammal color pattern is 

darker on the back and lighter on the belly. This species 

matures sexually between 6 and 1 2 y e a r s of age. Gestation 

lasts about 12 months, and the calf averages about 21 f t 

long at birth. Nursing lasts for 6 to 7 months or until the 

young are about 40 ft long. Females bear a calf every 2 to 

3 years. Along the edge of the U.S. continental shelf, it 

feeds on the extensive populations of small schooling fish. 

Although fin whales are not as seriously depleted as 

some other large whales that are taken commercially, they 

are depleted in some portions of their range. The total 

population estimate is about 114,000. CETAP reports that 

seasonal populations in the U. S. western North Atlantic from 

Cape Hatteras to the Gulf of Maine reach a peak of 5,400 

animals in the spring. This species is subject to Icelandic 

commercial whaling operations in the North Atlantic. 
Blue Whale 

Balaenoptera musculus 

Blue whales are known for their overall size and 

length. The accepted record is nearly 102 ft long for an 

animal found south of New Zealand. Blue whales are also 

known as "sulphur bottom" due to a definite yellow cast 

sometimes present on the belly and sides of animals seen in 

the Antarctic. This coloring is caused by a film of 

diatoms, a form of phytoplankton which adheres to the skin 

of several whale species as they swim in the Antarctic 

Convergence current. In these waters, the animals can change 

from pale to a distinct yellow color in less than a month. 

Diatoms are the food of the various species of krill which 

is the major food resource of baleen whales. Blue whales 

feed almost entirely on krill in both hemispheres. 

Blue whales have a small dorsal fin, a broad head, and 

a more massive back than other species of the genus. 

Gestation is 12 months, and the calves are about 24 ft long 

at birth. During 8 months of nursing, the calf gains about 

200 lbs a day. They are about 50 f t long when weaned. A 

form of this species, the pygmy blue whale, inhabits the 

Indian Ocean. 

Blue whales are a depleted species and have been 

protected by the IWC since 1966. Population numbers are 

reported to be increasing slowly; the current world-wide 

estimate is about 11,700 animals. 
Humpback Whale 

Megaptera novaeangliae 

The humpback whale is heavier bodied than other members 

of its family, and its flippers are one-third as long as the 

length of its body. There are a variable number of bumps of 

blubber on the head with each supporting a single hair 

follicle. The flippers have a series of knuckles on their 

leading edge which are associated with the bony joints of 

the encased fingers. Individual humpbacks can be identified 

by the unique color pattern on the underside of their flukes 

and by their small, irregularly shaped dorsal fins. 

Humpback whales migrate to high latitudes where they 

approach but do not enter the polar pack ice zones. While 

wintering in tropical latitudes, they usually calve and 

breed in the shallow waters of islands and atolls. The 

breeding and calving season is October to March in the 

northern hemispheres and April to September in the southern 

hemipshere. Gestation lasts 12 to 13 months. Calves are 

about 12 to 14 ft long at birth. Nursing continues for 

about 11 months. The female rarely bears a calf two years 

in a row. Females are larger than males and reach sexual 

maturity when they are about 40 ft long. Males mature 

sexually when they are about 35 f t long. Humpbacks feed 

heavily on schooling fish such as sand lance, anchovies, and 

sardines and on krill in high latitudes. Sometimes they 

create a net or a cloud of bubbles around a school of prey 

and then rise through the column of water engulfing the 

Pr eY 

Humpback whales are seriously depleted; their estimated 

world-wide population is 10,275 animals. The populations 

which have been studied are slow to recover. Because they 

frequent shallow coastal waters while both feeding and 

calving, they of ten cross shipping lanes and come into 

contact with vessel traffic including fishing boats, 
Family Balaenidae 

Right whales 

Right whales are distinguished from other baleen whales 

by a high vaulted arch to the upper jaws and massive thick 

lower jaws that have tall thick lips covering their baleen 

plates. This family contains two genera and three 

species. The bodies of the right and bowhead whales are 

thick and heavy; their tails are tapered; and their flukes 

are wide and expansive. The skull is wide and massive, but 

when viewed from above, the elongated bones of the snout 

foward of the blow hole are like a narrow projection set 

between the huge lower lips. The seven vertebrae of the 

neck are fused together. Their distinctive double blow 

rises above the animal before forming a cloud. 

The smallest species, the pygmy right whale, has the 

basic characteristics of the family but has a dorsal fin and 

is not as heavy bodied as the others. What little is known 

about this species is based on observations of one animal 

trapped alive in a South African bay and fragmentary 

information from fewer than a hundred specimens. 

These slow moving animals probably are not deep divers 

and are often found in the shallow waters of bays and shore 

lines. They were subject to a ruinous exploitation by early 

whalers. The 16th century Basques of Europe were probably 

the first to organize far away whaling expeditions that 

returned with finished products of oil and baleen instead of 

returning with towed whales found closer to home. Their 

target species, the right whale, was hunted from sailing 

vessels. The whaling industry carried whalers to the high 

latitude waters of the arctic Atlantic where they met the 

bowhead, and whaling expeditions became an integral part of 

the European exploration of North America. 
Right Whale 

Ralaena glacialis 

Today, right whales are found in small numbers in the 

North Pacific, the Western North Atlantic, and the Southern 

Ocean. Right whales are round heavy bodied animals without 

a dorsal fin. They reach 60 f t in length and have growths 

(callosities) on the skin, over the eyes, the snout, and the 

sides of their arched lower lips. These growths, made of a 

hard tissue (keratin), allow ectoparasites such as barnacles 

and whale lice to adhere to the skin. It is possible to 

identify individual whales from the distribution and form of 

these growths. Right whales feed extensively on copepods, 

and, along the edge of the U.S. continental shelf, they feed 

on the large concentrations of small schooling fish. Males 

mature sexually when they reach about 50 ft in length; 

females mature when about 51 f t long. Breeding and calving 

take place in tropical waters. Gestation lasts about 12 to 

13 months. 

Right whales, the most severely depleted of the great 

whales, have been protected from commercial whaling since 

1338. The Southern Hemisphere population is estimated at 

3,000 animals. The two northern hemisphere groups are 

threatened with extinction. The north Pacific population is 

estimated at 100 to 200 animals; the north Atlantic at less 

than 500 animals. CETAP reports a seasonal population of 

380 in the spring in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Banks. 
Bowhead Whale 

Ralaena mys t ice tu s 

The bowhead whale is circumpolar in arctic and 

subarctic waters. They have between 250 and 300 baleen 

plates on each side of their jaw that are about 10 to 11 f t 

long. They do not have a dorsal fin. Bowhead whales 

migrate according to the seasonal movement of the arctic 

pack ice. During their northward migration, they follow the 

narrow leads developed in the shore-£ ast ice. Bowhead 

whales can break ice several inches thick as well as travel 

under large ice floes. Adults reach a length of about 60 

f t. Females become sexually mature when they are about 40 

ft long. Conception is thought to occur in March with 

calves born from April to June or July during the spring 

migration. Gestation appears to be about 13 months. The 

newborn calf is 10 to 15 ft long at birth and the nursing 

period may last up to one year. This species usually 

travels alone or in small groups but has been observed in 

groups up to 50. They feed largely on euphausiids and 

copepods, but include several other groups of invertebrates 

in their diet. 

This species is severely depleted worldwide. The 

Bering, Beaufort, and Chukchi Seas population is estimated 

at just under 4,000 individuals, There is a subsistence 

take of this species by Alaskan Eskimos. Quotas for this 

subsistence take are set by the IWC. 
Suborder Odontoce ti 

Toothed Whales 

There ae 65 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises 

in this suborder. Most have teeth and most have developed a 

melon located in front of the brain. The melon, a barrelshaped organ called the "case" by whalers, contains 

spermaceti, a clear liquid oil that hardens to a white 

paraffin-like consistency. 

The animal shunts air through a series of passages 

(sinuses) connected to the blowhole and produces high 

pitched sounds which are transmitted through oily tissue of 

the melon and broadcast in front of the swimming animal. 

Pads of this oily tissue are found on the inside of the 

lower jaws which are in a straight line with the head and 

connect to the bottom of the brain case at the inner ear. 

The theory is that the melon acts as a focusing lens for the 

sounds produced behind it; the sound travels ahead of the 

animal, returns as an echo, is received in the lower jaw, 

and then transmitted to the inner ear. These structures 

make it possible for toothed whales to echolocate, which is 

a method used to locate objects by determining the time for 

an echo to return and its direction. 

The toothed whale's brain has one of the largest size 

to body weight ratios found in any group of mammals. Based 

on studies of anatomy and physiology of the brain of 

odontoce tes, the areas associated with hearing are more 

developed than in mammals that do not echolocate. 

In addition to their ability to echolocate, toothed 

whales have the best developed diving abilities of all 

whales. At least four species are known to dive for an hour 

at a time, and at least four others regularly dive for 30 

minutes or more. In contrast, the baleen whales average 5 

to 20 minute dives. They are also deep divers; sperm whales 

have been found wrapped in submarine cables at depths 

greater than 3,600 feet. The stomach contents of giant 

bottlenose whales taken in waters 4,000 feet deep contained 

organisms found only on the bottom. A coastal bottlenose 

dolphin trained to take its own picture at various depths 

easily accomplished a record of 1,000 feet although dives 

usually are to only 300 feet or less. Studies of the diving 

accomplishmentS of toothed whales have led to the discovery 

of several adaptations of their anatomy and physiology. 

TJnlike human deep sea divers who breathe different pressures 

of air at different depths, whales breathe only one 

atmosphere of air pressure (at sea level). 
Family Delphinidae 

Dolphins 

This family includes both small and medium sized 

dolphins as well as larger pilot and killer whales. The 

delphinids move in herds of 15 to 20 to several thousand. 

In recent years, extensive observations at sea have provided 

new insights into their social groupings and behavior. Some 

coastal dwelling species feed alone, but generally they move 

back to a group within a short time. Large herds may 

contain several species. All species of cetaceans have 

internal parasites (endoparasites ) , and recent studies of 

delphin.ids have provided new information on the life cycles 

of these organisms. The delphinids have many species of 

internal parasites such as flukes, roundworms, and tapeworms 

which are found in the brain, lungs, kidneys, and digestive 

system, but apparently do not always cause disease 

problems. Parasites, a variable factor in the life history 

of a species, may contribute to natural mortality of these 

animals. 

Rased on the studies of the teeth of several species, 

we have new information on dolphin biology. Special 

techniques developed to section and stain the teeth allow 

detailed analysis of the growth history of the animal. 

Calcium layers are deposited at regular time intervals in 

the teeth so that the age of the animal can be determined; 

they also provide information on estimating the month of 

birth, the length of the nursing period, and sexual 

maturity. By combining tooth layer studies with other 

biological information, detailed knowledge of the life 

his tory of several species of dolphins is becoming known. 
Rough-Toothed Dolphin 

Steno bredanensis 

The rough-toothed dolphin is found in tropical and warm 

temperate waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific 

Oceans. Its appearance is similar to the bottlenose 

dolphin; however, the head is cone shaped due to the smooth 

slope of its melon. It reaches a length of about 7 f t, and 

travels in schools of up to 50 animals. Sometimes it 

travels with bottlenose, spinner, and spotted dolphins. It 

feeds on fish and squid, and its relatively large teeth have 

a series of vertical wrinkles, hence "rough toothed" 

dolphins. It is involved in mass strandings usually in 

groups of 10 or less. Although rough-toothed dolphins are 

oceanic, they are of ten found inshore. Some specimens have 

been maintained in captivity for over 1 2 y e a r s . 

Population estimates are not considered reliable for 

the large distribution of this species. It is minimally 

involved in the yellowfin tuna purse-seine fishery in the 

eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. 
Bottlenose Dolphin 

Tursiops truncatus 

The bottlenose dolphin, one of the best known species 

of cetaceans, was the first species to be successfully 

maintained and bred in captivity. It is distributed 

worldwide including the western north Atlantic from 

Venezuela to Nova Scotia and the eastern north Pacific from 

the tropics through at least the Hawaiian archipelago. In 

the southeastern U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastal 

waters, this species is thought to be pricipally distributed 

in nearshore and estuarine environments although recent 

information suggests that a sizeable population exists 

offshore. Bottlenose dolphins are distributed inshore from 

Cape Hatteras to the Delmarva Peninsula while the offshore 

distribution is continuous from Cape Hatteras along the edge 

of the U.S. continental shelf to the northeast part of 

Georges Bank. Along the California coast, bottlenose 

dolphins are continuously distributed inshore as far north 

as southern Los Angeles County and of fshore to at least 

Point Conception. They are also found in U. S. Caribbean 

waters around the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. 

Some degree of reproductive isolation exists be tween 

stocks found in nearshore and coastal waters and those 

offshore. The offshore form is larger, darker, and has 

different parasites than the inshore form. Other 

morphological differences, including cranial skeletal 

variations, may also exist. Recruitment into the sexually 

mature population may occur between 5 and 13 years of age in 

females and between 7 and 15 years in males. Spring mating 

results in a calf one year later; a calving interval of two 

years has been observed in free-ranging animals in 

Florida. Females presumably reproduce through 25 years of 

age. They feed on a wide variety of fish and probably 

concentrate on species that are seasonally abundant. 

At present, there is no comprehensive estimate of size 

of the stock(s) of bottlenose dolphins in U.S. 

jurisdictional waters. Their abundance in certain regions 

of the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts has been 

estimated. A conserva ti;e estimate of bottlenose dolphins 

in U.S. waters of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico is 14,000 

to 23,000 individuals. The stock(s) of bottlenose dolphins 

in southeastern U.S. waters have supported several fisheries 

since at least the 1700's. Among these are the now defunct 

seine-net fisheries at Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout and a 

small harpoon fishery in Tampa Bay. The estimated catch 

from Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout between 1883 and 1914 

was 20,892 animals; this fishery remained active until 

1929. 

102 
Spinner Dolphin 

Stenel la longiros tris 

Spinner dolphins, named for their habit of literally 

spinning several (2 to 5) times on the long axis of their 

body, are found in the tropical waters of all the world's 

oceans. The significance of the spinning behavior is not 

understood. In the eastern tropical Pacific, these dolphins 

occur in herds of several hundred animals. Adults average 

5.6 ft in length; they have a prominent triangular dorsal 

fin, and, generally, a long beak. The young are about 2.5 

ft long when they are born after a gestation period of 10.6 

months. They feed on mid-water lantern fish and other fish 

species; their diet also includes squid. They may feed at 

different times than the yellowfin tuna and other species of 

porpoises with which they travel. Spinner dolphins of ten 

ride the bow waves of boats for long periods of time. They 

have been maintained in captivity in warm water aquariums 

for 7 to 10 years. 

Spinner dolphin populations have been studied 

extensively in the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP) where they 

are taken in the yellowf in tuna purse seine fishery. The 

population is estimated at about 900,000 in the ETP and is 

considered abundant elsewhere in its widespread range. 
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin 

Stenella plagiodon 

This species, found along the continental shelf, moves 

inshore in the spring. It feeds primarily on squid and 

barnacles. Whale lice are found on its skin. The body is 

more robust than other species in the genus Stenella, and 

the dorsal fin is similar to that of bottlenose dolphins. 

Adults reach a length of about 8 ft. They travel in groups 

of 20 to 50 animals, but herds of several hundred animals 

have been observed. They of ten ride the bow waves of 

vessels and breach clear of the water. Atlantic spotters 

have been maintained in captivity. There is insufficient 

in£ ormation to estimate population levels for this species. 

Spotted Dolphin 

Stenella attenuata 

The spotted dolphin occurs in all tropical waters of 

the world. In the last 10 years, much information has 

become available about this species although the 

relationship of the several forms is not understood at this 

time. The Pacific form is found with other species, 

especially the spinner dolphin. Combined aggregations may 

include several thousand animals. Gestation is about 11.5 

months and the length of a newborn is 2 1/2 ft. The nursing 

period is about 11 months. Spotted dolphins feed on a 

variety of midwater and surface fish and squids. 

Population increases have been recorded for some of the 

identified stocks of the species in the ETP where it is 

taken incidentally in the yellowfin tuna purse-seine 

fishery. The population in the ETP is estimated at 2.2 

million animals. 
Common Dolphin 

Delphinus delphu s 

The common dolphin is an oceanic species infrequently 

found in the shallow waters of the continental shelf. 

Common dolphins are found worldwide in tropical and 

temperate waters. Their practice of riding the bow waves 

made by ships may be a carry over from riding the bow waves 

of large baleen whales. Common dolphins average about 6.5 

ft long with the males slightly larger than females. The 

sexes may segregate between mating seasons. Gestation last 

10 to 11 months; newborns are about 2 1/2 f t long; the young 

are weaned at 1 to 3 years of age. Although they travel in 

groups of 40 to several thousand, they may break into 

several smaller groups during the breeding season. Common 

dolphins are not considered deep divers although they 

average 30 fathoms while feeding on anchovies, squid, 

lantern fish, and other species. 

This species is involved in the yellowfin tuna 

purse-seine fishery in the eastern tropical Pacific where 

its population is estimated at 900,000 animals. In the U.S. 

western North Atlantic from Cape Hatteras north to the Gulf 

of Maine, CETAP reports seasonal populations of 31,125 in 

winter and 2,885 in summer. 

Striped Dolphin 

Stenel la coeruleoalba 

Striped dolphins are a widely distributed species found 

in the warmer waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and the 

Pacific Oceans. his species is slender in form and its 

average length is about 9 f t; newborn calves average 3 f t. 

The gestation period is about 12 months. They nurse their 

young for 18 months and mature sexually at about 9 years. 

Striped dolphins feed on mid-water fishes (usually lantern 

fish) as well as squid and crSstaceans. This species 

travels in herds of 20 to 50 to several hundred animals. 

Striped dolphins are occasionally involved in s trandings. 

In the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP) , where the 

striped dolphin' is moderately involved in the yellowfin tuna 

purse-seine fishery, its population is estimated at 2.3 

million animals. ~opulat ion estimates for other parts of 

its range are not available. However, CETAP reports that 

seasonal populations in the Gulf of Maine peak in the spring 

at 4,320 animals. 

105 
Fraser 's Dolphin 

 agen nod el phis hosei 

Fraser 's dolphin is a recently discovered species 

previously known only from a skull collected in Borneo. In 

1971, it was seen at sea in four widely scattered areas. It 

is about 6.5 ft long as an adult and about 3.3 ft long at 

birth. This species is thought to inhabit offshore tropical 

waters. It is seen in schools of 500 animals and has been 

seen traveling with spotted dolphins. The dorsal fin is 

small, the beak is short, and the body is heavy set. The 

general form is intermediate be tween the common dolphin 

(Delphinus) and the beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus 1. 

Fraser's dolphin is probably a deep diver since its stomach 

contents contain squid and deep water fishes. Knowledge is 

limited on this oceanic species. 

Since this species was discovered only recently and 

because it does not occur in areas where cetacean population 

research is being conducted, reliable estimates of its 

numbers are not available. It is marginally involved in the 

yellowfin tuna purse-seine fishery in the ETP. 
Atlantic White-sided Dolphin 

Lagenorhynchus acu tus 

This dolphin occurs in oceanic waters and along the 

continental shelf. It is found in temperate waters of the 

North Atlantic including both inshore and off shore portions 

of the Gulf of Maine from May to November. In spring, 

summer, and fall, they can be found in the shallow fishing 

banks around Cape Cod and the northwest edge of Georges 

Rank. 

As with other species in this genus, it has a 

complicated color pattern. Adults average about 10 ft in 

length; newborn calves are about 3.3 ft long. Gestation is 

10 months, and age at sexual maturity is unknown. This 

species is involved in mass strandings. It frequently 

associates with pilot whales and humpback whales. It has 

not been maintained in captivity. This dolphin feeds on 

fish such as mackeral, herring, hake, sand lance, capelin, 

smelt, cod and sometimes squid. 

The Cetacean and Turtle Assessment Program (CETAP) 

provided seasonal population estimates for the U. S. western 

north Atlantic from Cape Hatteras north to the Gulf of Maine 

as 36,281 in spring and 3,240 in winter. 
Pacific White-sided Dolphin 

Lagenorhynchus obliqu idens 

The Pacific white-s ided dolphin is found in the North 

Pacific Ocean from Japan to California, but has not been 

recorded in the Bering Sea. It is generally an oceanic 

species but is sometimes found on the continental shelf and 

in large bays. The animals usually travel in groups of 15 

to 50; however, schools of several thousand have been 

seen. They associate with northern right whale dolphins and 

Risso's dolphins. The Pacific white-sided dolphin is well 

known for riding the bow waves of ships and for leaping high 

into the air and landing sideways. Their heads and tails 

slap the water as they feed. 

They grow to a length of about 7 f t and weigh about 400 

lbs. Gestation is estimated at 10 to 12 months. The calves 

are about 4 f t long at birth which is large considering the 

adult's size. This species is active day and night, and 

feeds largely on squid, as well as herring, sardines, 

anchovies, and sauries. They are heavy bodied, have a short 

beak, and a tall curving dorsal fin. 

They have been maintained in captivity. Population 

estimates in the eastern North Pacific range from 30,000 to 

50,000. However, population studies are continuing since 

these figures are not considered reliable. 
Northern Right Whale Dolphin 

Lissodelphis borealis 

There are two species in the genus Lissodelphis, the 

southern right whale dolphin which is found in the temperate 

waters of the Southern Ocean and the Northern right whale 

dolphin which is found in the temperate waters of the North 

~acif ic Ocean. These two species are the only delphinids 

that do not have a dorsal fin. Sighting records suggest 

that the northern species may be distributed continuously 

across the Pacific. They travel in groups of 15 to 200 or 

more in continuous u-shapes or long straight lines. They 

can swim faster than 25 knots and leap clear of the water 

and re-enter over 20 feet away. Entire herds have been seen 

diving for over 6 minutes at a time. Northern right whale 

dolphins average about 10 ft in length and have a long 

tapering tail. Calves are about 2 ft long at birth; neither 

the gestation period or nursing period are known. They feed 

largely on mid-water lantern fishes along the westey United 

States coast. -They of ten travel with Pacific whitesided 

dolphins as well as with Dall's porpoise. 

There are no reliable population estimates for this 

dolphin. 
Risso's Dolphin 

Grampus griseus 

Risso's dolphin is found in tropical and temperate 

waters of the world's oceans. They travel in groups of 5 to 

15 although they have been seen in herds of several 

hundred . 

This species is distinguished by scars covering the 

back and sides which may be caused by the tooth marks of 

other Risso's dolphins or large squid. They reach a length 

of about 13 ft. They usually are shy of small vessels, but 

have been seen riding the bow waves of ships. When 

traveling, their synchronized leaps in the water closely 

resemble bottlenose dolphins. Af ter breaching and flopping 

on their sides for several minutes at a time, they like to 

loll at the surface and slowly mill about. 

They. have tall triangular dorsal fins and blunt 

heads. There are seven large teeth in each side of the 

lower jaw, but, in older animals, these may be worn or 

missing. Although they feed largely on squid, some species 

of fish have been found in their stomachs. Aquariums have 

maintained individuals species for several years. 

Although there are no worldwide population estimates, 

in the northwestern Atlantic area from Cape Natteras to the 

Gulf of Maine, CETAP reports that seasonal populations reach 

a peak of 11,680 animals in summer. 
Melon-Headed Whale 

Peponocephala electra 

This tropical species is found in the Atlantic, Indian, 

and Pacific Oceans. In general, its form is similar to the 

pygmy killer whale. From the few animals examined, it is 

known to reach a length of about 9 ft. It has a long body, 

pointed jaws, and a large dorsal fin. A stranding of 250 

melon-headed whales was recently investigated in Costa 

Rica. This species is minimally involved in the yellowfin 

tuna purse-seine fishery. The melon head whale is known 

from very few specimens, and there are no estimates 

available of its population size. 

Pygmy Killer Whale 

Feresa attenuata 

The distribution of the pygmy killer whale is not well 

known, but it inhabits tropical and warm temperate waters. 

It has a prominent dorsal fin and a rounded head. Adults 

are about 8 to 9 ft long. They have 10 to 13 large teeth in 

each side of the upper and lower jaws. They travel in small 

groups of 5 to 10 animals although groups of several hundred 

have been seen. They prey on other species of dolphins, 

particularly the young. Although they are not well known in 

the stranding record, attempts to maintain this species in 

captivity have been with stranded animals. There is little 

reliable in£ ormation on their food habits or reproductive 

biology. 

This species is minimally involved in the yellow£ in 

tuna purse-seine fishery. No estimates of its populations 

are available. 
False Killer Whale 

Pseudorca crass idens 

False killer whales are found in tropical and temperate 

waters around the world; they are generally an oceanic form 

but large groups move close to shore when feeding. Several 

mass strandings of this species have been recorded. The 

largest mass stranding of cetaceans ever recorded involved 

over 800 false killer whales at La Plata, Argentina, in 

194 6. 

Adult males are about 18 f t long and females about 13 

f t; they weigh up to 3,600 lbs. Newborn calves are about 6 

f t long. They have long bodies and narrow tapered heads. 

The shape of the dorsal fin is similar to that of bottlenose 

dolphins. Large teeth on each side of the jaw suggests that 

they feed on large animals. 

This species is seen in herds of 50 to several hundred 

animals. Several mass strandings of this species have been 

recorded. Bottlenose dolphin herds of ten travel with this 

species. False killer whales ride the bow waves of ships 

and of ten jump clear of the water. They have been seen 

feeding on young dolphins, squid, and several species of 

medium to large-sized fish, including the dolphin fish 

(mahi-mahi). They have been maintained in captivity in 

Hawaii for several years. 

There are no reliable population estimates for this 

species. 
Long-f inned Pilot Whale 

Globicephala melaena 

The long-finned pilot whale is generally an oceanic 

species, but has been observed on major banks and nearshore 

areas. It is found in the temperate regions of the North 

~tlantic and the southern hemisphere. Pilot whales are 

found in schools of hundreds or thousands. They feed mostly 

on squid, but also on fish. Male Atlantic pilot whales 

average about 21 ft in length, the females, 17 f t; the 

newborn 5 to 6.5 ft. The gestation period is about 16 

months, and nursing may last 2 years. Breeding probably 

occurs year round. The melon is a prominent feature of the 

head. The flippers, usually one-fifth of the body length, 

are thin and tapered; and the dorsal fin has a broad base. 

This species is commonly involved in large mass strandings. 

~ating back to the 15001s, there is a long history of 

directed fisheries for this species both in Europe and North 

~merica. As a result of these periodic exploitations, some 

local populations thought depleted have been restored. 

There are no reliable worldwide population estimates for 

this species. Their distribution in the U.S. Atlantic is 

centered on the continental shelf where other squid-eating 

cetaceans concentrate. Because the distribution of the 

long-finned and short-finned pilot whales overlap in a 

portion of the CETAP study area, the seasonal population 

estimates of 2,565 in winter to 11,420 in the spring include 

both populations. 
Short-finned Pilot Whales 

Globicephala macrorhynchus 

The short-finned pilot whale is found in warm temperate 

and tropical waters of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic 

Oceans. It is similar to the other species of this genus 

but is more restricted to tropical waters. It travels in 

groups of 60 or more animals although smaller groups are 

more frequent. It feeds primarily on squid and a variety of 

fish. Adults are 15 to 21 ft long. The species frequently 

is involved in mass strandings. 

There is some limited subsistence take of short-finned 

pilot whales in the Caribbean, and it is taken occasionally 

in large numbers in Japanese waters. The data base is not 

complete on this species, and worldwide population estimates 

cannot be made. 
Killer Whale 

Orcinus orca 

Killer whales, worldwide in their distribution, are 

common in cool coastal waters. They hunt in the polar ice 

packs and are the largest species in the dolphin family. 

The dorsal fin is large in both sexes although it is much 

higher in males. The flippers are large in proportion to 

the remainder of the body and extremely mobile. These fast 

swimmers reach speeds of 25 knots or more. 

Killer whales are highly predatory and feed on squid, 

sea turtles, fish, sea birds, whales, dolphins, and seals. 

They attack their prey as a group and organize a strategy to 

dislodge or to panic intended prey. In Argentina, they have 

been seen flopping several body lengths onto shore to panic 

the pinnipeds who escape to the water where other killer 

whales are waiting for them. Breeding probably occurs year 

round; gestation is about 13 to 16 months long. Calves are 

about 7 ft long at birth. Adult males are about 17 ft long 

and females about 24 f t long. This species is frequently 

maintained in oceanaria. 

Preliminary estimates for killer whale populations in 

the Antarctic are being developed. World population 

estimates are not available although it is known that this 

species is abundant in certain areas of Puget Sound and 

Alaska. 
Family Phocenidae 

Porpoises 

The three genera of the family Phocoenidae differ from 

dolphins internally and externally. A major internal 

difference is in the structure of the air sacs behind the 

melon and around the blowhole. Externally, porpoises are 

distinguished from dolphins by small spade-shaped teeth and 

a short blunt snout. Although these technical differences 

exist, the terms dolphin and porpoise are used 

interchangeably. The genus Phocoena has four species, the 

harbor porpoise of the North Pacific and North Atlantic 

coastal waters; the vaquita of the Gulf of California in 

Mexico; and the Burmeister's and spectacled dolphins of the 

temperate/tropical waters of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts 

of South America. The oceanic Dall's porpoise of the North 

Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea is the single species of the 

genus Phocoenoides. The finless porpoise, found from India 

throughout Southeast Asia to Japan, is the only species of 

the genus Neophocoena. The chunky Dall's porpoise is the 

largest species in this family, and the harbor porpoise is 

one of the smallest oceanic cetaceans. This family is known 

in the fossil record by a few fragments from scattered 

localities. A pattern of their history and distribution is 

not understood at present. 
Harbor Porpoise 

Phocoena phocoena 

The harbor porpoise is circumpolar in ice free waters 

ranging south to warm temperate waters in all the oceans of 

the northern hemispheres. In the northeastern United 

States, an inshore species frequents coastal waters and the 

mouths of large rivers, harbors and bays. They are abundant 

to the east and southeast of Cape Cod, the northern Gulf of 

Maine, and the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. This species is 

seen in schools of up to 200 or more. Their local abundance 

often depends upon seasonal fish prey. They are considered 

deep divers and usually travel just below the surface and 

rise frequently to breathe when not feeding. They feed on 

several species of fish in shallow waters including cod, 

herring, and flounder as well as squid, clams and 

crustaceans. Male harbor porpoises are believed to 

segregate into separate schools by age while the females 

remain in mixed-sex schools. The gestation period is about 

10 to 11 months with the frequency of births of calves 

reaching a peak during June and July. 

The harbor porpoise is involved in marine mammal 

fishery conflicts in several areas of its distribution. In 

some areas, they may be taken incidental to fishery 

operations in large numbers. The extent of their 

involvement in U.S. fisheries is not known. The data base 

is not complete on this species, and an estimate of its 

world population cannot be made. However, the estimated 

population in the U.S. North Atlantic Ocean is 18,000. 
Dall's Porpoise 

Phocoenoides dallii 

The Dall's porpoise inhabits the North Pacific Ocean in 

a broad arc from Japan to the Aleutian Islands and Bering 

Sea, the Gulf of Alaska, and along the coast of North 

America as far south as Baja California. Migration has not 

been documented, but seasonal movement of some parts of the 

population has been recorded. This species is one of the 

swiftest cetaceans known, easily achieving a speed of over 

20 knots. Dall's porpoise feed on squid, lantern fish and 

other fish. They have heavy bodies, and adults reach about 

7 ft in length and weigh up to 500 lb. This porpoise 

usually travels in small groups although large groups have 

been seen. 

In the central North Pacific and Bering Sea, this 

species is taken accidentally in the Japanese high-seas 

salmon gill-net fishery and, to an unknown degree, in other 

gill net fisheries. A direct Eishery Eor this species 

occurs off the coast of Japan. It has been considered an 

abundant cetacean throughout most of its range. Population 

estimates for this species range from 580,000 to 2.2 

million, with over 920,000 animals the current est inate. 
Family Monodontidae 

Narwhal and Beluga Whales 

The two species in this family inhabit the Arctic basin 

and are usually found near advancing and retracting pack and 

drift ice. The fossil record of the genus Delphinapterus 

goes back 5 million years on both the Atlantic and Pacific 

coasts of North America. Other fossils from this family are 

dated 12 to 13 million years old. 

These whales do not have a dorsal fin. The snout does 

not have a beak and the melon is large and prominent. The 

flippers are fan-shaped and curve upward while the animal 

swims. Both species have pronounced asyme trical skulls. 

Separate vertebrae in the neck and a series of well 

developed muscles attached to crests on the skull allow the 

head to move with greater freedom than other cetacans. 
Beluga Whale 

Delphinapterus leucas 

The beluga whale is generally a circumpolar Arctic 

basin species a1 though some populations exist along the 

southern cost of Alaska, and one population is found along 

Cook Inlet. Throughout most of its range, the beluga is in 

frequent contact with the ice pack and ice floes. It does 

not have a dorsal fin, and its solid white coloring 

distinguishes it from other whales. There is a prominent 

keel on top of the tail, and the body is broad and 

expansive. This species is known for its remarkable 

agility, particularly the ability to twist and turn. The 

melon is a prominent feature of the head, and belugas show a 

marked ability to change the shape of this structure. 

Males grow to about 16 f t; adult females are about 14 

f t long. Gestation is probably 15 months, and the newborn 

calves are about 5 ft long. They are frequently found in 

shallow waters. Nursing lasts 20 months, and the 

reproductive cycle is about 3 years. Their diet includes 

salmon, cape1 in, pike, cod, squid, crustaceans, and other 

invertebrates. They break the ice with their bodies to 

maintain a breathing space. 

Belugas are taken by natives in the circumpolar areas 

for subsistence. Populations of the beluga whale fluctuate 

widely in some areas. Because they are frequently found in 

shallow coastal waters and estuaries of large rivers, these 

populations may be subject to environmental changes. The 

circumpolar population is estimated be tween 62,000 and 

80,000 animals. 
Narwhal Whale 

Monodon --- monoceros 

The narwhal inhabits all the Arctic Ocean basin and is 

occasionally seen just below the Arctic Circle. The male 

narwhal is distinguished by a tusk from 3 to 5 ft long. 

They are a deep water species and travel in pods of 6 to 20 

animals that may be segregatd by sex. When pursued, they 

swim in a tight group and blow in unison. Narwhals live 

near the pack ice throughout the year although they frequent 

open bays and fjords. They can become trapped in the pack 

ice and break newly forming ice at breathing holes by 

butting it with their melon. Thick ice may be broken by 

several animals hitting it in unison. They are preyed on by 

polar bears at their breathing holes; sharks are probably 

predators when narwhals are trapped or confined in the 

ice. Dives of 15 minutes are recorded for this species; a 

depth of 200 fathoms was reached by a harpooned animal. 

Narwhals feed on Polar cod and Greenland halibut as 

well as squid, octopus, and crustaceans. The adult female 

has no functional teeth; however, there are usually two 

unerupted teeth in the upper jaw. There are reports of 

females with tusks. In the adult male, the left tooth 

protrudes through the gum and the blubber of the upper lip 

and grows in a leftward spiral. The right tooth may erupt 

in some animals, but it also spirals to the left. Broken 

tusks are quite common. The gestation period of narwhals is 

about 14.5 months long; the newborn are between 5 and 6 f t 

long and weigh about 170 lbs. This species has not been 

maintained in captivity with any success. 

The population estimate in Arctic circumpolar regions 

is 30,000 animals. There are no reliable estimates for 

specific areas. 
Family Physeteridae 

Sperm Whales 

The fossil records for this family of whales are about 

25 million years old. Of the 20 genera and 30 species found 

in the family, only 3 species are living today. Two are in 

the genus Yogia, and are small in comparison to the sperm 

whale, Physeter catodon. The skull structure of the fossils 

suggests they had developed melons and were deep divers. 

The teeth in the lower jaw of the living species are 

relatively large and widely spaced, and they do not have any 

teeth in the upper jaw. 

Sperm whales have specialized the general structure of 

the melon of toothed whales, and the liquid wax it contains 

qcickly solidifies when exposed to air. The chemistry of 

these oils is different from the oil of other toothed 

whales. The quality and quantity of sperm whale oil 

resulted in the development of a large industry of sperm 

whaling. In the early and middle 1800 Is, the oil was a 

major source of fuel for lamps and candles in North America 

and Europe. 

Sperm whales feed largely on several species of squid 

and octopus as well as several species of deep water bony 

fish. 
Sperm Whale 

Physeter ca todon 

Sperm whales are Eound in all oceans. In the eastern 

United States, their distribution is centered along the edge 

of the continental shelf with other squid-eating 

cetaceans. Large solitary bulls migrate from tropical and 

temperate latitudes to near the pack ice of the polar 

regions. Older and middle aged females with calves and 

juvenile animals segregate into schools which may be joined 

by sizeable numbers of medium sized bachelors to form mixed 

schools of 25 to 100 or more animals. They may stay close 

together or be dispersed over a half mile area. Several 

studies suggest that the large bulls returning from their 

high latitude migration breed with the females and maintain 

harems similar to sea lions and fur seals. 

The head of a sperm whale is about one-third the total 

length of the animal, and the melon is its dominant 

structure. The blowhole located on the tip of the left side 

of the snout is connected to a complicated series of air 

sacks and tubes at the front of the brain case. It is the 

only species of cetacean to have the blowhole at the tip of 

the snout. Large sperm whales can dive for 60 to 75 minutes 

at a time. The current known record for a depth of dive is 

3,609 ft by a sperm whale caught in a submarine cable. 

Males reach about 50 ft in length and females about 40 ft. 

Calves are from 10 to 16 ft long at birth and weigh about 

2,150 lbs. The skin is heavily creased and folded at birth 

and these creases are retained in the adult. In place of a 

distinct dorsal fin, there is a single large hump followed 

by a series of small knuckles or humps. Their large 

distinctive blow is thrown in front of the animal at a 45' 

angle. Sperm whales are frequently involved in mass 

s trandings throughout the world although most s trandings 

occur in the tropical and temperate latitudes. 

The sperm whale has been a major target species of 

commercial whaling over the past 30 years. In 1975, the IWC 

set a zero quota for take in the southern hemisphere. This 

species is taken under IWC quotas in Icelandic waters and 

off the coast of Japan. The population for this species in 

the southern hemisphere is estimated at 410,000 animals; in 

the North Atlantic, 22,000 animals and in the North Pacific, 

472,000 animals. 
Pygmy Sperm Whale 

Yogia breviceps 

Pygmy sperm whales are found in tropical and warm 

temperate waters. At birth, this whale is about 3.5 ft 

long; adults reach about 11 ft long. A distinct dorsal fin 

is located far back on the body. They are heavy bodied 

animals weighing over 1,700 lbs. They have 12 to 16 large 

teeth on each side of the lower jaw and occasionally in the 

upper jaw. The melon is similar in general structure to the 

sperm whale, but the head is only 10 percent of the body 

length, The blowhole is located immediately in front of the 

brain case and is slightly to the left of the midline of the 

animal. 

Our knowledge of this species is based on stranded 

animals. It is the second most frequently stranded species 

(after the bottlenose dolphin) on the Eastern and Gulf 

seaboard of the United States. Studies of the food items in 

the stomachs indicate that they feed predominately on 

of £shore species of squid found on the edge of the 

continental shelf and the open sea. Analysis of the 

stranding records of small groups of this species suggests 

that they may segregate into sexually mature and immature 

groups. Cow and calf pairs are frequently found stranded. 

Pregnant mothers with nursing calves have been found which 

suggests that they may give birth once a year. 

Both the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale were 

formerly described as rare or uncommon. However, their 

frequency in the stranding record indicates that they are 

abundant in several areas. Neither species lends itself 

behaviorally to observational techniques used in estimating 

populations. Because the blow is very thin and dissipates 

rapidly, it cannot be used to locate the whale. They are 

infrequently seen at sea, but observers have recorded groups 

of 4 to 10 apparently asleep at the surface with the head 

exposed and the tail hanging down. 

There are no population estimates for this species. 
Dwarf Sperm Whale 

Yogia simus 

Most of what is known about the dwarf sperm whale has 

been obtained in the last 20 years through the stranding 

record. Its distribution is similar to the pygmy sperm 

whale; although, from studies of its stomach content, this 

species may not be as much of a deep water dweller as the 

pygmy sperm whale. They are about 3 ft long at birth and 7 

to 9 ft long as adults. Pregnant females with a nursing 

calf are known in the stranding record. There is little 

evidence that this species migrates or moves seasonally. 

They have been reported in groups of 2 to 7 animals. They 

feed largely on squid. Of ten, they have no teeth in the 

upper jaw, and the teeth in the lower jaw are shorter and 

narrower than in other species. The tall dorsal fin is 

similar to others in the dolphin family. 

There are no population estimates for this species. 
Family Ziphiidae 

Beaked whales 

This family contains large to medium-sized whales. In 

all twenty species, the snout is tapered and the lower jaw 

is longer than the upper jaw. They have two grooves on the 

throat and, in some specimens, an additional one or two 

grooves. The dorsal fin is located far back on the body. 

There is no notch in the flukes, and when the flippers are 

pressed against the body, they fit into depressions of the 

blubber on the chest. 

The teeth of the beaked whale range from a full 

complement in Tasmace tus to tiny translucent slivers 

embedded in the gums in Ziphius. In the several species of 

Mesoplodon, the front teeth have several forms. In some 

species, the teeth become encrusted with barnacles since 

there is limited opening of the jaws. In females, the teeth 

are smaller; many of the rudimentary teeth in fetuses and 

juveniles do not persist in the adult stage. 

Beaked whales have a well developed melon which suggest 

that they are deep diving echolocaters preying on squid as a 

major part of their diet. Throwing a thin rapidly 

dissipating blow close to the water, these whales are 

difficult to observe at sea. Some species photographed 

breaching high above the water are of ten heavily scarred 

with scratches several feet long over the head and chest. 

Except Eor the giant bottlenose whale and Baird's beaked 

whale, which are taken commercially, the largest source of 

knowledge of this family is based on the examination of 

stranded specimens. 
Raird 's Beaked Whale 

Berardius bairdi i 

Baird's beaked whale is one of the few species of the 

family Ziphiidae for which basic biological information is 

known. It is the largest representative of the family and 

measures up to 40 ft long. It has a prominent beak and 

melon and a medium sized dorsal fin. Baird's beaked whale 

is found in the temperate waters of the North PaciEic in an 

arc from Japan through the Bering Sea and down to central 

~alifornia. It has two teeth on each side of the lower jaw 

and feeds extensively on several species of squid and fish 

such as sardines and rock fish. Adult males reach about 32 

ft in length and females about 34 ft. Gestation is probably 

10 months long. This off shore, deep water species dives for 

an average of 10 to 20 minutes; although, dives of over an 

hour have been seen. They of ten travel in pairs, hut 

schools of 10 or more have been observed. They breach 

partially out of the water. 

This species is taken in coastal whaling stations in 

Japan. The estimated population sizes are unknown although 

there are reported declines in numbers in local areas. 
REFERENCES 

1. Advisory Committee on Marine Resources Research, 

Working Party on Marine Mammals. 1975. Mammals in the 

Seas: FA0 Fisheries Series, No. 5, Volume I - Report 

of Working Party. Food and Agricultural Organization 

of the United Nations, 264 p. 

2. 1979. Mammals in the Seas: FA0 

Fisheries Series No. 5, Volume I1 - Pinniped Species 

Summaries and Reports of Sirenians. Food and 

Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 151 p. 

3. 1981. Mammals in the Seas: PA0 

Fisheries Series, No. 5, Volume I11 - General Papers 

and Large Cetaceans. Food and ~gr icultural 

Organization of the United Nations, 531 p. 

4. 1982. Mammals in the Seas: FA0 

Fisheries Series, No. 5, Volume IV - Small Cetaceans, 

Seals, Sirenians and Otters. Food and Agricultural 

Organization of the United Nations, 531 p. 

5. Boschung, H.T. Jr., J.D. Williams, D.W. Gotshall 

D.Y. Caldwell, and M.C. Caldwell. 1983. The Audubon 

Society Field Guide to North American Fishes, Whales, 

and Dolphins. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 848 p. 

6. Caldwell, D.K., and M.C. Caldwell. 1972. The World 

of the Bottlenosed Dolphin. Lippincott: N.Y. 157 p. 

7. CETAP. 1982. A Characterization of Marine Mammals 

and Turtles in the Mid-and North Atlantic Areas of 

the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Cetacean and Turtle 

Assessment Program, University of Rhode Island. 

Final Contract Report No. AA551-CT9-48 to the Bureau 

of Land Management. 

8. Ellis, R. 1980. The Book of Whales. Alfred A. Ynopf, 

New York, 202 p. 

9. Ellis, R. 1982. The Book of Dolphins and porpoises. 

Alfred A Ynopf, New York, 270 p. 

10. ,Gaskin, D.E. 1982. The Ecology of Whales and 

Dolphins. Heinemann, London, 459 p. 
Haley, D., editor. 1978. Marine Mammals of the 

Eastern North Pacific and Arctic Waters. Pacific 

Search Press, Seattle, 256 p. 

Harrison, R.Ll. , R. C. Hubbard, R.S. Peterson, 

C.F. Rice, R.J. Shusterman, editors. 1968. The 

Behavior and Physiology of Pinnipeds. Appleton, 

Century, Crofts, New York, 411 p. 

Yatona, S.Y., V. Rough, and D.T. Richardson. 1983. 

A Field Guide to the Whales, Porpoises and Seals of the 

Gulf of Maine and Eastern Canada, Cape Cod to 

Newfoundland . Charles Scribner ' s Sons, New York, 

255 p. 

King, J. 1984. Seals of the World. Second 

edition. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, 

196 p. 

Leatherwood, S., D.Y. Caldwell, and H.E. Winn. 1976. 

Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western 

North Atlantic. NOAA Technical Report NMFS 

Circular 396. Superintendent of Documents, 

Government Printing Off ice, Washington, D.C., 176 p. 

Leatherwood, S., and R.R. Reeves. 1983. The Sierra 

Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins. Sierra Club 

Books, San Francisco, 302 p. 

Leatherwood, S., R.R. Reeves, W.F. Perrin, and 

W.E. Evans. 1982. Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises 

of the Eastern North Pacific and Adjacent Arctic 

Waters. NOAA Technical Report NMFS Circular 444. 

Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing 

Off ice, Washington, D. C., 245 p. 

Lockley , R. M. 1979. Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises. 

W.W. Norton and Co., New York, 200 p. 

Mansfield, A.W., Y. Ronald, editors. 1975. Biology 

of the Seal. Proceedings of a symposium held in 

Guelph Denmark, August 14-17, 1972. Rapports et 

Proces-Verbaux des Re'u~ions Volume 169. Consiel 

International Pour L'exploration de la Mer, 537 p. 

Matthews, L.H. 1978. The Natural History of the 

Whale, Columbia University Press, New York. 219 p. 

Mitchell, E.D., editor. 1975. Review of Biology and 

Fisheries for Small Cetaceans. Journal of the 

Fisheries Research Board of Canada. Volume 32, No. 7. 

Special Issue, 1,235 p. 
22. Ridgway, S.H. , and R.J. Harrison, editors. 1981. 

Handbook of Marine Mammals. Volume 1 - The Walrus, 

Sea Lions, Fur Seals and Sea Otter. Academic Press, 

London, 235 p. 

23. Ridgway, S. H., and R. J. Harrison, editors. 1981. 

Handbook of Marine P4ammals. Volume 2 - Seals. 

Academic Press, London, 359 p. 

24. Watson, L. 1981. Sea Guide to Whales of the World. 

E.P. Dutton, New York, 302 p. 

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TABLE 3 

COMMON AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF MARINE MAMMALS INVOLVED IN 

SCIENTTFIC RESEARCH/PUBLIC DISPLAY PERMIT APPLICATIONS 

COMMON NAME 

----------- 

CETACEANS 

--------- 

SCIENTIFIC NAME 

--------------- 

ATLANTIC BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN 

ATLANTIC SPOTTED DOLPHIN 

ATLANTIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN 

BAIRD' S BEAKED WHALE 

BLACK RIGHT WHALE, NORTHERN RIGHT 

BLAINVILLE' S BEAKED WHALE 

BLUE WHALE 

BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS 

BOTTLENOSE WHALES 

BOWHEAD WHALE 

BRYDE' S WHALE 

COMMERSON' S DOLPHIN 

COMMON DOLPHIN 

CUV IER' S BEAKED WHALE 

DALL' s PORPOISE 

DUSKY DOLPHIN 

DWARF SPERM WHALE 

FALSE KILLER WHALE 

FIN WHALE, FINBACK 

FINLESS PORPOISE 

FRANC1 SCANA 

FRASER' s ( SARAWAK) DOLPHIN 

GINKGO-TOOTHED BEAKED WHALE 

GRAY WHALE 

GRAY'S BEAKED WHALE 

HARBOR PORPOISE 

HEAVISIDE'S DOLPHIN 

HUBBS' BEAKED WHALE 

HUMPBACK WHALE 

KILLER WHALE 

LAGENORHYNCHINE DOLPHINS 

LONG-FINNED PILOT WHALE 

MELON-HEADED WHALE, ELECTRA 

MI NKE WHALE 

NARWHAL 

NORTHERN BOTTLENOSE WHALE 

NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN 

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN 

PILOT WHALES UNSPECIFIED 

PYGMY KILLER .WBALE 

PYGMY RIGHT WHALE 

PYGMY SPERM WHALE 

RIGHT WHALES UNSPECIFIED 

RISSO'S DOLPHIN, GRAMPUS 

ROUGH-TOOTHED DOLPHIN 

TURSIOP S TRUNCATUS 

STENELLA PL.AGIODON 

LAGENORHYNCHUS ACUTUS 

BERARDIUS BAIRDII 

BALAENA GLACIALIS 

MESOPLODON DENSIROSTRIS 

BALAENOPTERA MUSCULUS 

TURSIOPS SP. 

HYPEROODON SP . BALAENA MYSTICETUS 

BALAENOPTERA EDEN1 

CEPHALORHYNCHUS COMMERSONII 

DELPHINUS DELPHIS 

ZIPHIUS CAVIROSTRIS 

PHOCOENOIDES DALLI 

LAGENORHYNCHUS OBSCURUS 

KOGIA SIMUS 

PSEUDORCA CRASSIDENS 

BALAENOPTERA PHYSALUS 

NEOPHOCAENA PHOCAENOIDES 

PONTOPORIA BLAINVILLEI 

LAGENODELPHIS HOSE1 

MESOPLODON GINKGODENS 

ESCHRICHTIUS ROBUSTUS 

MESOPLODON GRAY I 

PHOCOENA PHOCOENA 

CEPHALORHYNCHUS HEAVISIDII 

MESOPLODON CARLHUBBSI 

MEGAPTERA NOVAEANGLIAE 

ORCINUS ORCA 

LAGENORHYNCHUS SP. 

GLOB1 CEPHALA MELAENA 

PEPONOCEPHALA ELECTRA 

BALAENOPTERA ACUTOROSTRATA 

MONODON MONOCEROS 

HYPEROODON AMPULLATUS 

LISSODELPHIS BOREALIS 

LAGENORHYNCHUS OBLIQUIDENS 

GLOBICEPHALA SP . FERESA ATTENUATA 

CAPEREA MARGINATA 

KOGIA BREV ICEP S 

BALAENA SP. 

GRAMPUS GRISEUS 

STENO BREDANENSIS 
Table 3 - continued 

COMMON NAME 

----------- 

SCIENTIFIC NAME 

--------------- 

SEI WHALE 

SHEPHERD' S- BEAKED WHALE 

SHORT-FINNED PILOT WHALE 

SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE 

SPERM WHALE 

SPINNER DOLPHIN 

SPOTTED DOLPHIN 

SPOTTED DOLPHIN 

STENELLINE DOLPHINS 

STRAP-TOOTHED WHALE 

STRIPED DOLPHIN, STREAKER 

TRUE'S BEAKED WHALE 

UNSPECIFIED CETACEANS 

UNSPECIFIED TOOTHED WHALES 

VAQUITA, COCHITO 

WHITE WHALE, BELUKHA 

WHITE-BEAKED DOLPHIN 

BALAENOPTERA BOREALIS 

TASMACETUS SHEPHERD I 

GLOBICEPHALA MACRORHYNCHUS 

BALAENA AU STRALIS 

PHY SETER CATODON 

STENELLA LONGIROSTRIS 

STENELLA ATTENUATA 

STENELLA FRONTAL IS 

STENELLA SP. 

MESOPLODON LAYARDII 

STENELLA COERULEOALBA 

MESOPLODON MIRUS 

CETACEA 

ODONTOCETI 

PHOCOENA SINUS 

DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS 

LAGENORHYNCHUS ALBIROSTRIS 

AMSTERDAM ISLAND FUR SEAL 

ARCTOCEPHALINE FUR SEALS 

ATLANTIC HARBOR SEAL 

BAIKAL SEAL 

BEARDED SEAL 

CALIFORNIA SEA LION 

CASPIAN SEAL 

CRABEATER SEAL 

DUGONG 

GRAY S E AL 

HARBOR SEALS 

HARP SEAL, GREENLAND SEAL 

HAWAIIAN MONK SEAL 

HOODED SEAL, BLADDERNOSE SEAL 

KERGUELEN FUR SEAL 

LARGHA SEAL, SPOTTED SEAL 

LEOPARD SEAL 

NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL 

NORTHERN FUR SEAL 

NORTHERN SEA LION, STELLER SEA LION 

PACIFIC HARBOR SEAL 

RIBBON SEAL 

RINGED SEAL 

ROSS SEAL 

SOUTH AFRICAN FUR SEAL 

SOUTH AMERICAN SEA LION 

SOUTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL 

UNSPECIFIED MARINE MAMMALS 

UNSPECIFIED PINNIPEDS 

WALRUS 

WEDDELL SEAL 

WEST INDIAN MANATEE 

WESTERN ATLANTIC HARBOR SEAL 

134 

ARCTOCEPHALUS TROPICALIS 

ARCTOCEPHALUS SP . PHOCA VITULINA VITULINA 

PHOCA SIBIRICA 

ERIGNATHUS BARBATUS 

ZALOPHUS CALIFORNIANUS 

PHOCA CASP ICA 

LOBODON CARCINOPHAGUS 

DUGONG DUGON 

HALICHOERUS GRYPUS 

PHOCA VITULINA 

PHOCA GROENLANDICA 

MONACHUS SCHAU INSLANDI 

CYSTOPHORA CRISTATA 

ARCTOCEPHALUS GAZELLA 

PHOCA LARGHA 

HY DRURGA LEPTONYX 

MIROUNGA ANGUSTIROSTRIS 

CALLORHINUS URSINUS 

EUMETOP IAS JUBATUS 

PHOCA VITULINA RICHARD1 

PHOCA FASCIATA 

PHOCA HISPIDA 

OMMATOPHOCA ROSS1 I 

ARCTOCEPHALUS PUS ILLUS 

OTARIA FLAVESCENS 

MIROUNGA LEONINA 

UNSPECIFIED MARINE MAMMALS 

PINNIPEDIA 

ODOBENUS ROSMARUS 

LEPTONYCHOTES WEDDELLI 

TRICHECHUS MANATUS 

PHOCA VITULINA CONCOLOR 
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COMMON NAME 

TABLE 7 

NUMBER OF CETACEANS AUTHORIZED IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH/PUBLIC DISPLAY PERMIT APPLICATIONS(I) 

AUTHORIZED 

AS OF March 31, 1983 

AUTHORIZED 

April 1, 1983 THRll March 31, 1984 

ATLANTIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN 

BLACK RIGHT WHALE, NORTHERN RIGHT 

BLUE WHALE 

BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS 

BOWHEAD WHALE 

BRY DE' S WHALE 

COMMERSON' S DOLPHIN 

COMMON DOLPHIN 

DALL'S PORPOISE 

DUSKY DOLPHIN 

FALSE KILLER WHALE 

FIN WHALE, FINBACK 

FRASER' S ( SARAWAK) DOLPHIN 

GRAY WHALE 

HARBOR PORPOISE 

+, HUMPBACK WHALE 

W KILLER WHALE 

LONG-FINNED PILOT WHALE 

MELON-HEADED WHALE, ELECTRA 

MINKE WHALE 

NORTHERN RIGHT WHALE DOLPHIN 

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN 

PILOT WHALES UNSPECIFIED 

PYGMY KILLER WHALE 

RISSO'S 'DOLPHIN, GRAMPUS 

ROUGH-TOOTHED DOLPHlN 

SEI WHALE 

SHORT-FINNED PILOT WHALE 

SPERM WHALE 

SPINNER DOLPHIN 

SPOTTED DOLPHIN 

STENELLINE DOLPHINS 

STRIPED DOLPHIN, STREAKER 

UNSPECIFIED CETACEANS 

VAQUITA, COCHITO 

WHITE WHALE, BELUKHA 

WRITE-BEAKED DOLPHIN 

TAKEN TAKEN CUMMULATTAKEN AND TAGGED OR FOUND TAKEN AND TAGCED OR FOUND IVE 

BY KEPT KILLED IN TAKEN AND DEAD/ BY KEPT KILLED IN TAKEN AND DEAD/ TOTAL 

KILLING ALIVE CAPTIVITY RELEASED STRND KILLING ALIVE CAPTIVITY RELEASED STRND AUTHORIZED 

(1) SPECIMEN IMPORTS AND HARASSMENT ACTlVLTIES NOT INCLUIICD TN THIS TABLE. ,.., . .- .. - . . . - -- ~ -- - - ~. - -~ ~ -~ -- 
COMMON NAME + 

ARCTOCEPHALINE FUR SEALS 

BAIKAL SEAL 

BEARDED SEAL 

CALIFORNIA SEA LION 

CASPIAN SEAL 

CRABEATER SEAL 

GRAY SEAL 

HARBOR SEALS 

HARP SEAL, GREENLAND SEAL 

HAWAIIAN MONK SEAL 

w KERGUELEN FUR SEAL * LARGHA SEAL, SPOTTED SEAL 

LEOPARD SEAL 

NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL 

NORTITERN FUR SEAL 

NORTHERN SEA LION, STELLER 

RIBBON SEAL 

RINGED SEAL 

ROSS SEAL 

SOUTH AFRICAN FUR SEAL 

SOUTH AMERICAN SEA LION 

SOUTHERN ELEPHANr SEAL 

UNSPECIFIED MARINE MAMMALS 

UNSPECIF'IED PINNIPEDS 

WALRUS 

WEDDELL SEAL 

TABLE 8 

NUMBER OF PINNIPEDS AUTHORIZED IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH/PUBLIC DISPLAY PERMIT APPLXCATIONS(1) 

AUTHORIZED 

AS OF March 31, 1983 

AUTHORIZED 

April 1, 1983 THRU March 31, 1984 

TAKEN TAKEN CIIMMULATTAKEN AND TAGGED OR FOUND TAKEN AND TAGGED OR FOUND IVE 

BY KEPT KILLED IN TAKEN AND DEAD/ BY KEPT KILLED IN TAKEN AND DEAD/ TOTAL 

KILLING ALIVE CAPTIVITY RELEASED STRND KILLING ALIVE CAPTIVITY RELEASED STRND AUTHORIZED 

TOTALS : ( 2) 12,210 643 51 85.707 1.016 0 0 0 9,515 595 109.737 

(1) SPECIMEN IMPORTS AND HARASSMENT ACTIVITIES NOT INCLUDED IN THIS TABLE. 

(2) WHERE A PERMIT SPECIFIED THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ANIMALS TO BE TAKEN WITHOUT SPECIFYING THE NUMBER TO BE TAKEN FROM A PARTICULAR 

SPECIES, THE NUMBER AUTHORIZED WAS LISTED UNDER UNSPECIFIED PINNIPEDS OR UNSPECIFIED MARINE MAMMALS, IF CETACEANS 

WERE ALSO INVOLVED. 
SPEC1 ES 

ATLANTIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN 

BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS 

COMMERSON' S DOLPHIN 

COMMON DOLPHIN 

DALL'S PORPOISE 

FALSE KILLER WHALE 

FRASER'S (SARAWAK) DOLPHIN 

HARBOR PORPOISE 

KILLER WHALE 

p LONG-FINNED PILOT WHALE 

0 MELON-HEADED WHALE, ELECTRA 

PACIFIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN 

PYGMY KILLER WHALE 

RISSO'S DOLPHIN, GRAMPUS 

ROUGH-TOOTHED DOLPHIN 

SHORT-PI NNED PILOT WHALE 

SPINNER DOLPHIN 

SPOTTED DOLPHIN 

STRIPED DOLPHIN, STREAKER 

UNSPE CIF~ED CETACEANS 

WHITE WHALE, BELUKHA 

WHITE-BEAKED DOLPHIN 

TABLE 9 

SUMMARY OF PERMITS FOR PERMANENT REMOVAL FROM THE WILD - CETACEANS 

AS OF March 31, 1984 

A******* PERMITS ********* ....................... NUMBER OF ANIMALS ......................... 

ISSUED 

1 

9 4 

I 

5 

1 

4 

2 

1 

5 

1 

3 

5 

3 

4 

5 

12 

4 

3 

1 

4 

10 

1 

EXPIRED 

I 

7 5 

0 

4 

0 

2 

2 

1 

4 

I 

2 

3 

2 

2 

3 

8 

3 

3 

I 

4 

4 

0 

CURRENT 

0 

19 

I 

I 

1 

2 

0 

0 

I 

0 

I 

2 

I 

2 

2 

4 

1 

0 

0 

0 

6 

I 

REQUESTED AUTHORIZED REPLACEMENTS AUTHORIZATION 

EXPIRED 

TAKEN TAKE 

(1 ) REMAINING 

TOTAL NUMBER OF ANIMALS: 10,634 10,600 4 5 8,619 970 1,141 

(1) ANIMALS TAKEN INCLUDE THOSE INADVERTENTLY KILLED DURING THE COURSE OF RESEARCH AUTHORIZING TYPES OF TAKE OTHER THAN PERMANENT 

REMOVAL. 

Table 11: MS5 STRANDLCS OF WWLES AND WLPHINi IN THE UNITED 

STATES FRO4 1974-1983 (by State) 

Canplled by the Marlne Mama1 Events Rograrn 

(A coowrat lve wograrn of the Smlthsonian lnstitutlon 

and The Cousteau bclety) 

- 

State - bte Number Stranded CaMon Name State - 

Date Number Stranded 

Stejneger's Beaked whale 

Stejneger 1s Beaked whale 

Alaska 

Alaska 

Atlantlc whlte-slded dotmln 

Atlantlc whlte-slded dotphln 

Canon dolphin 

Long-tlnned PI lot whale 

Long-flnned pllot whale 

Rlsso's dolphln 

Atlantlc rtlite-sided dolphln 

Atlantlc whife-slded dolphin 

Atlant Ic whlte-slded dolphln 

Atlantlc rhite-slded dolphln 

Pygmy sparrn whale 

Spotted dolphin 

Spotted do1 ph t n 

Ib lne 

Ma l ne 

Massachuset ts 

Massachusetts 

Massachusetts 

Massachu set ts 

Massachuset ts 

Massachusetts 

Massachusetts 

Massachusetts 

Massachusetts 

Massachusetts 

Massachusett s 

Short-f Inned pl lot whale 

Short-flnned 01 lot whale 

Call tornla 

Callfornla 

Pygmy kil ler whale 

Pywy kl l ler whale 

Pygmy kll ler whale 

Pygny kl l ler whale 

Pygmy ki l ler whale 

Short-tinned pl lot whale 

Short-flnned pl lot whale 

Short-f Inned pl lot whale 

Risso's dolphln 

Rlssols dsl phln 

Fraser's dolphln 

Sperm whale 

False kl l ler whale 

Splnner dolphln 

Rough-toothed do1 ph In 

Rough-toothed dolpn In 

Clynene dolphln 

Clynene dolphln 

Swtted dolphln 

Florlda 

Florlda 

? Florlda 

Florlda 

Florlda 

Florlda 

Florida 

Florlda 

Florlda 

Florlda 

Florlda 

Flor Ida 

Florlds 

Florlda 

Florlda 

Florlda 

Florlda 

Flor Ida 

Florlda 

Short-tlnned pl lot whale Mw Jersey 

Fygrny sperm whale mrth Carol l na 

Sperm rhale 

RhOde Island 

Pygmy klller whale Texas 

Vlrglnla 

Short-tlnned pilot whale 

Table 13 - Estimated Abundance of Bottlenose Dolphins in Southeastern U.S. Waters 

Area Es t irnated Abundance Source 

- - --- 

U.S. Atlantic -- - 

1, Continental Shelf N of 

Cape Hatteras 

2. Indian/Banana Rivers, FL 

3. Merrit Island, FL, offshore 

to 1000 rn ' 

U,S. Gulf of Mexico 

1. Charlotte Harbor, FL 

2. Charlotte Harbor to Crystal 

River, FL 

3. Naples, FL, Offshore to 200 m 

4. Sarasota Bay, J?L 

5. Appalachicola/St. Joseph Bays, FL 

6 Mississippi, Chandeleur, Brenton 

6a. Mississippi Sound 

7. Marsh Island, LA,, Offshore to 1000 m 

7a. Atchafalaya Bay, LA 

CETAP 1983 

NMFS/SEFC 

Fritts et. al., 1983 

Ode11 and Reynolds 1980 

Fritts et. al., 1983 

Wells et. al., 1980 

Leatherwood and Platter, 1975 

WS/SEFC 

Fritts et. al., 1983 

Leatherwood et . al. , 1978 
Table 13 - continued 

Area Estimated Abundance Source 

8. Aransas/Copano/San Antonio 

9. Matagorda Bay, TX 

10. Corpus Christi Bay TX 

I- 

& ll. LagunaMadre, fi VI 

12. Brownsville, TX., Offshore to 1000 m 

U. S. Caribbean Sea 

1. U.S. Virgin Islands 

U.S. Pacific 

NMFS/SEFC 

Barham et. al., 1979 

NMFS/SEFC 

NMFs/smc 

Fritts et. al., 1983 

I. San Diego County, to 100 M 

a Estimated resident stock size 
mam d *mzl: a4 4 a 

ccc 

000 

444 

r-4 4 4 

rl d dv 

EEE 
Northern fur seal pup on San Miguel Island, California 

Photo by Dana J. Seagars, NMFS, Southeast Region.